Image Source: X
[Saba Sports News] Ja Morant just can’t seem to resist bringing weapon-like gestures into his on-court celebrations.
The Memphis Grizzlies star stirred up controversy earlier this week by debuting a celebration that looked like him lobbing a grenade into the crowd during a road game in Charlotte.
Then on Thursday night, with the national spotlight on him during a prime-time matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Morant repeated the same move — miming a grenade toss after drilling a pull-up three over Julius Randle to give Memphis a brief first-quarter lead.
TNT cameras even caught the moment in dramatic slow motion.
Ahead of the game, Morant tried to downplay the gesture, insisting it wasn’t what people thought. He claimed the move symbolized him “throwing his words into the world” and that the pretend ear muffs he made afterward represented “blocking out the noise.” A creative explanation, if nothing else.
Controversy aside, Morant had a huge night, pouring in 36 points and dishing 6 assists. But he was overshadowed by Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who erupted for 44 points on just 19 shots to power Minnesota to a 141-125 road win.