Ja Morant Reacts After His NBA Return Cut Short for due to inability to withhold his...

The Memphis Grizzlies star recently returned to the team after a 25-game suspension to start the season

Ja Morant’s comeback story was unexpectedly cut short on Monday when the Memphis Grizzlies announced its star player would have season-ending shoulder surgery.

Morant, 24, had just returned to the team last month after a 25-game suspension for repeatedly posting videos of himself holding a gun on social media last year.

The team’s leading scorer reportedly injured his shoulder in practice on Saturday, according to ESPN. He missed Sunday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, appearing on the sideline with his right shoulder in a sling. An MRI revealed an underlying labral tear in the shoulder, the outlet reported.

“Damn dawg,” Morant tweeted late Monday night, an apparent response to the news that his season was over less than 10 games after it began. Earlier in the evening, he had tweeted a blue heart emoji in what was likely his first response to the news.

Morant appeared in nine games for the Grizzlies and immediately made an impact, hitting a game-winning buzzer beater against the New Orleans Pelicans in his return on Dec. 20. The last-second shot provided one of the most dramatic moments in the NBA so far this season, capping off a 34-point game for the returning Morant.

The Grizzlies appeared to turn things around with their best player back on the floor, winning seven of their last 11 games since he returned from his lengthy suspension. Memphis had a 6-19 record without Morant to start the season, winning more games in the last month with him on the floor than it did in the two months without him.

Now, Memphis is back to square one with Morant once again on the sidelines