Ja Morant feels “so better” following a week that involved his return to the Grizzlies, he shared in an Instagram post early Saturday morning.
It was Morant’s first post since he appeared to flash a gun at a strip club in early March while on Instagram Live, and was suspended by the NBA while also entering a counseling center in Florida.
Morant, 23, used a poop emoji while describing what he “overcame,” adding “iann trippin bout a thing because i noticed i’m special.”
Morant shared a series of 10 photos, which included snapshots from the Grizzlies’ last two games against the Rockets — some with him wearing headphones in the dugout, others with him leaping toward the rim for a dunk — and scenes from FedExForum with his daughter, Kaari.
He was greeted with a standing ovation from Memphis fans Wednesday, adding postgame that “I can’t really put it into words.”
“I’m kind of numb right now,” Morant said, according to the Associated Press. “Thankful to everybody.”
Morant missed nine games in the aftermath of his strip-club incident.
He also faced allegations detailed in a story from The Washington Post for separate off-court incidents last summer involving a 17-year-old teenager — who Morant was accused of repeatedly punching in the face during a pickup basketball game, before later allegedly returning with a gun visible in his waistband — and a Memphis mall security officer.
His Instagram Live video came less than a week after those allegations were published, and the NBA later responded by suspending Morant for eight games.
He didn’t return Monday, the first game he was eligible, but finally didwhen he checked in with three minutes left in the opening quarter Wednesday.
In his first game, Morant entered off the bench and scored 17 points in 24 minutes on 6-for-13 shooting.
Then, on Friday night, he added 18 points in 19 minutes, as the Grizzlies won a second consecutive game against the Rockets for their fifth consecutive victory and eighth in the last nine games.
Memphis currently holds the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed — two games behind the Nuggets for the top spot — with nine games remaining in the regular season.
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