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[Saba Sports News] Ja Morant made it clear on Thursday that he’s unbothered by public perception—or league warnings—when it comes to his gun-themed celebrations. Now, the NBA has responded.
On Friday, the league announced that the Memphis Grizzlies star has been fined $75,000 for “twice making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court.”
The penalty comes after Morant was previously issued a warning for a gun-like hand motion aimed toward the opposing bench during Tuesday’s 134-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Warriors guard Buddy Hield responded with a similar gesture, and both players were warned. The NBA deemed the actions “not intended to be violent” but still “inappropriate.”
Morant seemingly took the warning as a green light. Just two days later, during a 110-108 win over the Miami Heat, he hit a three-pointer and promptly repeated the gesture—this time directed at his own bench.
Given his history, the optics aren’t great. Morant, 25, has faced multiple suspensions for incidents involving actual firearms, including an 8-game suspension in March 2023 and a 25-game suspension in June 2023 for flashing guns on social media. He was also accused of threatening a teenager with a gun during a pickup game at his home.
Despite all that, Morant still rolled out another gun-themed celebration back in December after an alley-oop dunk.
At this point, if Morant doesn’t put away the finger guns for good, the NBA may be forced to bring out something stronger than just a fine.