Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant is off the hook in his gun video case -- at least criminally -- cops just announced the NBA star will not face charges ... even though he recorded himself brandishing a firearm at a Denver-area club over the weekend.

The Glendale Police Dept. cleared the 23-year-old on Wednesday afternoon ... saying in a statement that despite the "concerning" images on Morant's Instagram Live stream Saturday morning -- "there was not enough available evidence to charge anyone with a crime."

Cops said the incident took place on March 4 just hours after the Grizzlies game against the Nuggets at Shotgun Willie's -- a Gentleman's club located five or so miles from Ball Arena.

"In this case," police said, "it should be noted that on the night in question the GPD did not receive any calls for service at the nightclub regarding a weapon of any type. Subsequently, no disturbances were reported, and no citizens or patrons of the club came forward to make a complaint."

"The investigation also concluded that no one was threatened or menaced with the firearm," they added, "and in fact no firearm was ever located."

While cleared legally ... Morant is still facing potential punishment from the NBA -- the league announced it launched its own investigation into the matter that has not yet concluded.

While the probe continues onward, Morant -- who apologized for the video and vowed to seek out help afterward -- has remained away from the Grizzlies.

A timetable for his return to the hardwood has not been set yet.

Shaquille O'Neal is weighing in on Ja Morant's controversial gun-flashing Instagram Live session ... telling the Memphis Grizzlies star he has to be smarter moving forward -- saying, "You're not a rapper, you're an NBA player!"

Shaq conveyed his memo to the 2-time All-Star during NBA on TNT on Tuesday ... saying Morant put himself in his current position with the NBA, Grizzlies, and fans as he chose to push the IG Live button and brandish a gun.

"You don't go live, nobody knows he has a weapon, [then] we're not talking about this, but HE did that," the 51-year-old said.

"We have to stop putting ourselves in positions where they can take away the things that we worked hard for."

Shaq emphasizes the fact that Morant chose to share with the world that he was in a strip club, shirtless, with a gun ... and he should've known there would be repercussions for it.

"You got to have enough common sense to know that wasn't going to go how you wanted it to go," O'Neal said. "You're not a rapper. You're an NBA player."

Shaq proposed Morant thinks about his "higher powers" before making bad choices -- and he's talking about Ja's parents and 2-year-old daughter, Kaari.

Speaking of his parents, NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe told TMZ Sports Morant's dad, who he had an altercation with in January, needs to be a father and not a friend in this situation.

"It's okay to be a friend," Sharpe said at LAX. "But you gotta be a father, too, and when you see your son doing something wrong, you gotta step to him and say it's wrong."

Plaxico Burress is weighing in on the Ja Morant controversy ... calling on the Memphis Grizzlies superstar to learn from his mistakes -- after Morant was suspended for brandishing a gun on an Instagram Live video over the weekend.

"If you can't learn anything, learn from me," Burress said Tuesday on "The Carton Show." He added, "Make better decisions because you really don't want for him to have that label being that he's so young. He has the opportunity to be the face of the NBA. He's that great of a player."

Of course, Burress is speaking from personal experience ... in 2008, the former New York Giants wide receiver, who caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLII, suffered an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound at a nightclub in NYC.

Plaxico did not have a license to carry a gun in NYC ... and turned himself in on charges of criminal possession of a handgun. Burress eventually accepted a plea deal that saw him spend two years in prison, effectively derailing his NFL career.

Burress would return to the NFL in 2011 with the New York Jets, but he retired a few years later after making a return to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Plaxico's life changed because of the mistake ... and that seems to be the message he's trying to convey to 23-year-old Morant, who's been embroiled in drama recently.

"You want to see him mature as a person as his game is getting better," Burress said, "and I think that all comes with time and being around the right people."

Cops are now investigating Ja Morant after the NBA superstar was seen on video over the weekend brandishing a firearm ... TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Glendale Police Department in Colorado tells us they launched the probe into the matter shortly after Morant went on Instagram Live from what appeared to be a strip club with a gun in his hand.

According to the spokesperson, cops "have confirmed the incident took place at a bar in Glendale" -- adding, "We are investigating the matter."

No further details surrounding the probe were given.

As we reported, Morant filmed himself at the Colorado establishment late Friday night/early Saturday morning -- hours after the Grizzlies had lost to the Nuggets in Denver.

In the footage, the 23-year-old can be seen and heard rapping along to an NBA YoungBoy song ... all while flashing a gun.

Shortly after the video was posted, the Grizzlies announced Morant would be stepping away from the team for at least the next two games.

Morant, meanwhile, took responsibility for his actions and apologized to his team and his fans. In his statement, Ja also vowed to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Damian Lillard is denying he liked a tweet about Ja Morant which insinuated the Grizzlies star isn't "hood" amid his recent gun incident.

The controversy started when Dame allegedly liked a tweet fired off by a fan that read ... "Notice Dame is actually from the hood but he don't go around acting like Ja Morant who is from the suburbs trying to act hood"

The alleged screenshot showing Lillard's "like" started going around social media and obviously had fans believing the long-time NBA star was calling out his counterpart. But, Lillard attempted to shut down that conversation.

"Let em lie," the 32-year-old said on social media. "F*** I look like liking that."

Of course, Morant brandished a handgun on Instagram Live while partying at a strip club late Saturday night, leading to him leaving the Grizzlies for at least two games.

Morant issued a statement saying he'd "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

In addition to flashing the weapon, Ja was already under fire after more was learned about an alleged incident during a pickup basketball game. Morant, in a lawsuit, was accused of beating up a teenage boy, before allegedly intimidating the 17-year-old with a gun in his waistband.

As for the tweet, some fans aren't buying Dame's denial, saying he could've just unliked the tweet once people noticed. But, Lillard isn't mincing words ... he says he didn't like the message.

"I don’t care who is and is not from the “trenches," Damian wrote.

Marcus Stroman is calling out Nike, accusing the retail conglomerate of being hypocritical for its drastically different responses to Ja Morant and Kyrie Irving's controversies -- saying, "always knew Nike was trash."

Nike released a statement over the weekend after Morant displayed a gun on Instagram Live ... saying, "We appreciate Ja’s accountability and that he is taking the time to get the help he needs. We support his prioritization of his well-being.”

You'll recall ... Nike parted ways with Irving, who had been with the company since 2011 after the superstar point guard tweeted out a link to a controversial film. Now, Strowman is pointing out what he believes is a double standard ... with Nike sticking by Ja, but not Kyrie.

"Kyrie posted a link with zero comments and they ended his contract. I always knew Nike was trash," the Chicago Cubs star pitcher tweeted. "Thankful to be free from any of these companies!"

Nike cut ties with Irving -- whose contract was set to expire in October 2023 -- one month after the shoe giant suspended its relationship with him. At the time, Nike cofounder and chairman Phil Knight said "Kyrie stepped over the line, adding, "It's kind of that simple."

Meanwhile, Morant -- who is also accused of beating up a teenager during a pickup basketball game, before allegedly flashing a gun in his waistband -- was suspended for at least two games by the Grizzlies.

Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Sunday ... there's no timetable for Morant's return.

"We're taking it one day at a time," Jenkins said. "This is going to be an ongoing healing process, so I can't comment in terms of what the exact timetable's going to be because it's really not a timetable situation."

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins says Ja Morant could miss more than two games as a result of his gun-flashing Instagram Live video over the weekend ... telling reporters there's no set timetable for his return.

Jenkins briefly talked about his superstar guard's controversial clip prior to Memphis' matchup with the Clippers on Sunday ... saying it's a "very tough moment, for sure."

Morant -- who apologized for the vid on Saturday -- said he was going to "take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Jenkins said he will not disclose details of private conversations held with Morant and the front office following the incident ... but voiced his support for the guard as he seeks help.

"We love him. We want what's best for him. We support him. It's going to be a difficult process, but we got a great group to get through this."

Coach added the focus is on getting Morant in a better place on and off the court ... and he hopes the All-Star can take accountability and understand the expectations the team has for him.

As for how long Morant will be away from the team, Jenkins said there is "not a definitive timeline."

Ja Morant appeared to brandish a gun while filming a selfie video on social media late Friday night ... and now, the NBA says it's investigating it all.

The two-time All-Star went live on his Instagram page following the Memphis Grizzlies' loss to the Denver Nuggets ... showing him while out at what seemed to be a strip club.

Morant, shirtless, was dancing around ... rapping along to NBA YoungBoy's "Bring 'Em Out." Suddenly, he flashed what appeared to be a gun in front of the camera.

In the footage, you can see the 23-year-old brought the object near his face for a brief moment, before pulling it away.

It's not clear if the gun was real or not. An NBA spokesperson said in a statement Saturday morning, "We are aware of a social media post involving Ja Morant and are investigating."

Morant was recently accused of flashing a gun at a teenager following an altercation the two had at his home in Tennessee over the summer.

Cops investigated the claims, and officials ultimately declined prosecution in the case, citing a lack of evidence.

Morant was also recently seen doing a finger gun celebration during a game against the Rockets.

The former Murray State Racer has become an NBA star since he was drafted in 2019 ... leading the Grizzlies to two playoff appearances while averaging 22.5 points per game.

New troubling allegations surrounding the alleged pickup basketball brawl between Ja Morant and a teenage boy in July ... with the young hooper claiming the Memphis Grizzlies superstar flashed a gun at him during the altercation.

TMZ Sports broke the story in January -- Morant is accused of punching a 17-year-old boy after getting in an argument during a game at Ja's residence in Tennessee ... which resulted in a lawsuit filed in September.

According to the docs, the boy claimed he "accidentally" hit Ja in the face after throwing the ball in his direction ... and the All-Star guard retaliated by hitting him with a closed fist and knocking him to the ground.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that not only did the teen accuse Morant of punching him at least 12 times, resulting in a "large knot" on his head ... but the 23-year-old also went into his house and returned with a gun in his waistband -- with his hand on the weapon.

The boy told detectives Ja's dad, Tee, then yelled at him ... telling him to go back inside.

When Morant was questioned about the incident, police mentioned the boy's claims of exposing a weapon, but did not explicitly ask if he had a gun. The outlet notes Morant and his attorneys did not deny the claim.

As for the altercation, Morant told detectives he did, in fact, hit the teen ... but claimed it was out of self-defense after he was hit with the ball. In his eyes, "The ball was the first swing to me."

As we previously reported, Morant filed a police report of his own a few weeks later ... claiming the teen threatened to "come back and light this place up like fireworks" and he feared for his safety.

Police investigated the allegations for several weeks ... before they submitted the case to the district attorney's office on Oct. 4. Less than a month later, cops say the D.A. declined prosecution, citing a lack of evidence.

Ja Morant is downplaying reports that he and his friends got into an altercation with Indiana Pacers team members after a game last month ... saying the story is basically fake news.

The Memphis Grizzlies star spoke with the media on Tuesday -- the first time since The Athletic released a report claiming Morant's friends confronted "members of the Pacers traveling party" near the team's bus following a matchup at FedEx Forum on Jan. 29.

The report also stated someone in an SUV, which Morant was in, pointed a red laser at them ... and the Pacers team members believe it was attached to a gun.

The 23-year-old denied the allegations when he spoke with reporters at practice ... saying, "All that stuff pretty much false."

"It’s been proven. That’s all I got to say on it."

Morant emphasized how he doesn't care about the rumors going around ... and he won't entertain a report that's fishing for "likes and clicks."

"At this point in my life, I'm protecting my energy," Morant said. "Not responding to nobody else. Not entertaining nobody else."

The reporters attempted to get more from Morant on the situation ... but he refused.

He did provide one update from that game, though ... tweeting on Sunday that his friend, Davonte Pack, has been banned from home games after a verbal altercation with Pacers players.

Shannon Sharpe offered a mea culpa Monday morning, apologizing for getting into an altercation with several Grizzlies players and Ja Morant's dad near his floor seats at the Lakers game Friday night, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions.

"I want to apologize for my behavior," Sharpe said this morning on "Undisputed," adding ... "For the last six and a half years, I've preached accountability and responsibility. And I take full responsibility for what transpired. It does not matter what Dillon Brooks said or how many times he said it."

"Me being the responsible person. Me having the platform that I have and having so many people look up to me, I was wrong. I should have lowered the temperature in the arena. Instead, I turned the temperature up, and I let it get out of hand."

Sharpe then apologized to Jeanie Buss, the Lakers organization, and their fans for "any harm or unwanted attention" he may have caused. The FS1 commentator also apologized to the Grizzlies, Dillon Brooks, and Morant, whom he raved about after witnessing him play in person.

Of course, sitting courtside for the Grizzlies-Lakers game Friday night, Shannon got into a heated back-and-forth with Brooks, causing Ja and Steven Adams to come to Dillon's defense.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer was also jawing with Ja's dad, Tee, "saying, "I bet you won't," multiple times as security, arena staffers, referees, and players tried to separate them.

Despite the chaotic scene, Sharpe returned to his seat a quarter later to finish watching the game -- and even made amends with Tee later in the night.

Shannon Sharpe and Ja Morant's dad, Tee, got into a heated altercation at the Laker game Friday night ... with both sides needing to be separated before eventually making amends.

It all went down during the first half of the Lakers' home matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies at Crypto.com Arena ... when the focus shifted from the court to the crowd.

Memphis guard Dillon Brooks and the FS1 commentator -- who had courtside seats for the game -- had been jawing back and forth during the contest ... when Dillon's teammates Steven Adams and Morant inserted themselves into the picture.

Adams can be seen barking at Sharpe ... as everyone else tries to restore some semblance of order. As the chaos ensues, Shannon and Tee got into a war of words, too.

In the video, Shannon appears to yell "I bet you won't" at Tee multiple times as staffers, security and referees get between them.

Shannon was then escorted out of the seating area and into the tunnel.

After the commotion, Shannon spoke to ESPN's Dave McMenamin at halftime and said it all started after he told Brooks he couldn't guard LeBron James.

"I said he was too small to guard LeBron. He said, 'F*** me,'" Sharpe told Dave. "I said, 'f*** you back.'"

Sharpe claims that's when Brooks came after him ... followed by Ja and his father, which led to him responding the way he did.

"They didn't want this smoke," said Shannon. "They do all this talking and jockeying, and I ain't about that jockeying."

"I wanted anything they had. Don't let these fools fool you now."

Ja Morant's MVP-like performance on the court this year has the NBA suspicious ... 'cause the league is drug testing the Grizzlies star for the 7th time this season!!!

The 23-year-old guard could only laugh on social media ... explaining he was about to get tested AGAIN.

"Been drug tested like 6 times this season," NBA All-Star said on Twitter.

"Walked in the arena & found out I got another one today 😂🙄"

Of course, Morant's been playing at an incredible level -- averaging 27.5 points and 7.9 assists per game -- and although the drug tests are random, according to the NBA, many players ain't buyin' that at all.

In fact, the 7th test comes days after Morant destroyed Pacers' big man Jalen Smith with a monstrous poster dunk. He also had 23 points and 10 assists in Saturday's win.

The NBA even praised the 6-foot-3 guard for what it called the "dunk of the year."

Ironically, fans joked with Morant after the big jam, saying the league would probably test him after that dunk.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant gave a young fan his game-worn jersey and Ja 1 sneakers from Wednesday night's showdown against the Spurs ... after her autographed basketball was sadly stolen Monday night at the FedEx Forum.

Ellie Hughes, an 11-year-old Grizzlies fan, was at the Grizzlies-Spurs game Monday night ... and was trying to get Ja's attention when she laid the signed basketball down.

When Ellie looked back up, the basketball was gone. Ellie has been to every Grizzlies' home game with her grandfather since she was five, and the ball had a ton of sentimental value since she had been collecting signatures from players after games, according to actionnews5.com.

Enter Ja ... the 23-year-old discovered what happened to Ellie and wanted to help make things right for her and her family.

The Hughes family was at FedEx Forum again Wednesday ... and after the game, Morant got some facetime with the youngster, where he gifted her his jersey and sneakers.

“I was trying to get in contact w the fam," Morant said in his postgame interview. "I reached out & offered them two of the courtside seats that I give to my fam & told them after the game I would give my jersey & shoes."

"Definitely a good feeling to have them there supporting us and see that smile on their face at the end," he added.

In addition to the jersey and Ja 1 kicks Ellie received, she also got to watch Morant drop 38 points ... en route to the Grizzlies' 135-129 win over San Antonio.

Ja Morant has been sued, TMZ Sports has learned ... after he was allegedly involved in the attack of a minor during a basketball game in July at his Tennessee home.

The suit was filed in Shelby County in September. Court records show the case has since been sealed -- but we've learned it all stems from a July 26 incident at the NBA superstar's residence in Eads, Tenn.

According to police documents, a 17-year-old -- who filed the lawsuit on Sept. 9 -- told cops he was playing in a pickup basketball game with Morant at the house ... when the two got into a verbal altercation.

The plaintiff, according to the docs, said the argument became heated, and he threw a basketball at Morant -- "accidentally" hitting him in the face. The teenager said the Grizzlies point guard then approached him, put his chin on his shoulder, and asked a bystander "Should I do it to him?" The teen says Morant then struck him "with a closed fist, knocking him to the ground."

According to the docs, the 17-year-old said Morant then "continued sticking him while on the ground" -- and claims another man jumped in and began hitting him as well.

Officers in the docs say they noted the teenager had "a large knot" on his head.

In the docs, cops say Morant told them he did strike the teenager, but insisted he was acting in self-defense. Morant said the plaintiff threw the ball at him "intentionally" during the argument, and then "began to approach him as if he wanted to fight."

Police say Morant also told them "his brother" was involved in the altercation as well -- but the basketball player did not name the man.

Both parties, according to the docs, said the fight was broken up by spectators shortly after it began. Morant told officers the teenager "made verbal threats stating he'd 'light his house up'" as he was being escorted off the property. Morant "advised he and his family were put in fear by the statement."

According to the docs, police investigated the allegations for several weeks ... before they submitted the case to the district attorney's office on Oct. 4. Less than a month later, cops say the DA declined prosecution.

It's unclear what the plaintiff is seeking in the suit. Court records show Morant, as well as his childhood friend Davonte Pack, are listed as defendants.

We've reached out to reps for Morant for comment, but have yet to hear back.

Amazing moment in Memphis on Sunday night ... Ja Morant gifted a kid the shoes off his feet following a game -- and the act was so generous, it brought the youngster to tears!!

The emotional scene happened after Ja and the Grizzlies beat the Sacramento Kings, 118-108 ... when Morant saw 9-year-old Zander Carr holding a sign that read, "Ready to JAM out in my JA 1's #summer2023."

The 23-year-old NBA superstar took off his pink, Ja 1 Nike kicks ... and walked over to the kid -- who was already sobbing at the up-close site of the Memphis point guard.

Eventually, Ja signed the shoes and gave Carr a hug -- which turned the youngster into a complete puddle of emotions.

Check out the video the Grizzlies posted of the interaction -- it's pretty awesome!!

Carr's mom, Krissi, could be heard in the clip in complete disbelief ... telling Morant the game was her son's birthday present. The three ultimately posed for a photo ... before Morant headed back to the locker room.

FYI, the kicks Carr got are Ja's debut sneakers with Nike ... that were released on Christmas Day. Morant had dedicated the new signature sneakers to his 3-year-old daughter, Kaari, whose name is actually imprinted on the inner half of the shoe.