Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant discussed his extended absence from the team on Wednesday during an interview with former NBA player and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose.

Morant has been away from the Grizzlies since he was captured in an Instagram live video holding a gun at a nightclub outside of Denver on March 4.

"The gun wasn't mine. It's not who I am. I don't condone any type of violence, but I take full responsibility for my actions. Made a bad mistake," Morant told Rose. "I can see an image I've painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But, in the future, I'm gonna show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative."

On March 4, the NBA launched an investigation into the video that appeared to show Morant flashing a gun at a Denver nightclub. He was also the subject of a police investigation, but no criminal charges were filed.

The Grizzlies announced the same day that Morant would be away from the team for at least two games, and the 23-year-old said in a statement that he was going "to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

Morant has missed five games thus far, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon reported March 13 that he had entered a counseling program in Florida, adding that there was no timetable for his return to the NBA.

Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Morant had left his counseling program in Florida and met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver. The 2019 No. 2 pick detailed some of his treatment during that counseling program while speaking with Rose.

"I feel mentally good," Morant said, per Katherine Donlevy of the New York Post. "I was constantly talking to therapists. I've been doing Reiki treatment. I'm doing anxiety breathing different stuff to help me manage that and release all that stuff from my body."

The league announced an eight-game suspension for Morant on Wednesday for "conduct detrimental to the league," adding that its investigation "did not conclude that the gun at issue belonged to Morant, was brought by him into the nightclub or was displayed by him beyond a brief period."

Prior to the nightclub incident, Morant was investigated by the NBA in February after the Indiana Pacers alleged that associates of the point guard "aggressively confronted" people traveling with the Pacers and aimed a red laser at them. They believed the laser could have been attached to a gun.

Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post reported March 1 that Morant is also accused of punching a 17-year-old boy in the head during a pickup basketball game at his house over the summer. The boy told investigators that after punching him multiple times, Morant went into his house and reemerged with a gun visible in his waistband.

Four days before the alleged assault, a security guard at a Memphis mall told police that Morant threatened him and a member of his group pushed him in the head during an altercation in the parking lot, per Hensley-Clancy.

"I realize my past mistakes isn't being a good role model," Morant told Rose. "So just gotta be better in that area, you know, be more responsible, be smarter, and make better decisions."

Morant is eligible to return to the Grizzlies on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks, but Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said Wednesday that the two-time All-Star is not expected to suit up for that contest.

Prior to his absence, Morant was playing at a high level for the Grizzlies, averaging 27.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists in 53 games while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor and 31.6 percent from deep.

The Grizzlies have been one of the best teams in the Western Conference this season, posting a 41-26 record and sitting just four games behind the first-place Denver Nuggets.

However, Memphis hasn't been nearly as effective in Morant's absence, going 3-2 over the last five games.

Morant seems to realize that he needs to change his behavior in order for the team to achieve any long-term success.

"I realize what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose," Morant told Rose, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "It's pretty much just that being more responsible, more smarter and staying away from all the bad decisions."