Will Ja Morant be paid during suspension? Looking at consequences of Memphis Grizzlies superstar's gun controversy

The Memphis Grizzlies are struggling to get a win early this season without Ja Morant, as he serves his 25-game suspension. This was due to being filmed posing with a firearm in a car after serving an eight-game suspension earlier in the season for a similar incident.

The question remains, is Morant getting paid even if he's still suspended? According to league rules, any suspension won't allow players to get paid. The Grizzlies star lost almost $669,000 in total during his eight-game suspension last season, $83,583 per game.

ESPN reported over the summer that the money being lost for the two-time All-Star has increased this season. Morant is losing $304,545 per game, which is around $7.6 million in total.

Sources say that the significant increase in the penalty has two reasons. First, "because the suspension is 20 games or more, the per-game amount is 1/110th of his 2023-24 salary." The other reason is that the star is "set to enter Year 1 of a $194 million rookie max extension that he signed last July."

For that reason alone, his salary increased from $12.1 million to $33.5 million.

Morant is still involved with the team. The league allows him to travel with the team but was firm with the decision to suspend him from playing. He's expected to return on Dec. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Given that he's been on his best behavior, it looks like he won't experience any hiccups in his return to action.

You might also be interested in reading this: What did Ja Morant get in trouble for? Suspension, legal issues and more explored

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Charles Barkley calls out Ja Morant for his misbehavior

NBA legend Charles Barkley doesn't mince his words when it comes to giving out criticism. In a recent interview with CNN, he addressed Ja Morant's situation and called him out.

"He’s caught with a gun, he gets suspended, and then, less than two months later, he gets filmed again on Instagram with a gun. And you’re like, 'Kid can’t be that stupid,'" Barkley said. "(The) kid is getting paid close to $100 million, and the only thing you have to do is don’t be a fool. Just play basketball. Ain‘t like it’s a real job.

"Real jobs (with) people who will never make a lot of money, and all you have to do is dribble a stupid basketball and stay out of trouble."

Barkley's words may be too harsh for some people, but he understands the privilege of being able to play in the league and earn a substantial amount of money.