Basketball

This is not a defense of Ja Morant, whose erratic behavior certainly seems worthy of a lengthy suspension.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Jordan is finalizing a deal to sell the majority share of the Charlotte Hornets, the franchise announced Friday, leaving the 30-team NBA without any Black majority ownership.

Memphis guard Ja Morant has been suspended 25 games by the NBA — his second ban in four months — and Commissioner Adam Silver made clear Friday the star must stop his “alarming” habit of flashing guns on social media.

Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension on Friday is among the longest the NBA has handed out for behavior on or off the court.

A timeline of some of the notable of moments on and off of Ja Morant’s career from the time the Memphis Grizzlies made him the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2019 to his 25-game suspension announced Friday by the league.

In most years, Scoot Henderson would be discussed as the potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick. Instead, the explosive point guard who bypassed college is among the top talents lined up behind generational prospect Victor Wembanyama.

DENVER (AP) — Nikola Jokic rode atop a firetruck with people who mean the world to him — his teammate Jamal Murray, his family — and the NBA trophy.

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA and the Miami Heat are investigating an allegation that former UFC champion Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman inside an arena bathroom after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

PARIS (AP) — Adieu France, hello America. They were hugs of goodbye — not of joy — for Victor Wembanyama as he bid farewell to his teammates and the French league, before jetting off for what many predict will be a glittering NBA career.

TORONTO — Three Canadian NBA players will be putting on their coaching hat with top high school-age prospects from Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean next week.