Morant awaits review of latest gun video

Ja Morant still had his endorsement deals on Monday. While his latest gun video on social media is costing him plenty in public relations currency, he hasn't lost any money.

Any, or all, of that could change any day. Once again, Morant is in limbo — awaiting the outcome of yet another NBA investigation into what could end up becoming a cataclysmic off-court decision.

"This is going to be a hot question," Syracuse professor of sport management Rick Burton said Monday. "I don't think they can hit pause on this. I think that there will be too much demand for, 'What are you going to do?'"

The NBA already suspended the two-time All-Star guard eight games in March for livestreaming himself holding an apparent handgun in Colorado. That cost him about $669,000 in salary.

How Morant's sponsors react to him being caught on social media apparently holding a weapon for the second time in less than three months is another issue.

Morant has endorsement deals with Nike and the sports drink Powerade, which is owned by Coca-Cola. Endorsement deals traditionally include confidentiality and morality clauses.

Representatives of Nike, which started selling Morant's Ja 1 shoes on April 19, did not return a message from The Associated Press on Monday. Powerade pulled his ad almost immediately after the March video.

In April, Morant countersued a Memphis teenager accusing the Grizzlies guard of punching him during a pickup court fight last summer at Morant's home. The countersuit noted the lawsuit jeopardized relationships with sponsors including some "unconsummated deals".

Burton, commissioner of Australia's National Basketball League from 2003-07, said research shows some athletes believe negativity can help them break out as a "perfect-pitch person" Burton wrote in 2001 about the demand for antiheroes or athletes with controversial images.

"I'm sure the people at Nike are trying to figure out, 'Does this make him more relevant to a certain audience? And is this something we're going to ride out?'" said Burton, who noted Nike doesn't often give up on an athlete trending negatively.

Memphis suspended Morant on Sunday from team activities, though that's unclear what that involves in the offseason.

The Grizzlies were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. Charity events are the biggest offseason events until training camp in late September. Players start receiving game checks when the season begins in October.

Criminal charges are not likely with no indication of where the latest Instagram video was streamed.

Agencies via Xinhua