Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant sparked online controversy after being accused of performing a celebration where he sprayed “imaginary bullets” into the crowd. The gesture calls into question Morant’s judgment considering his recent 25-game suspension for brandishing a gun on social media.
Ja Morant appeared to do a finger gun celebration after a game-winning play during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies themselves posted a video celebrating the dramatic alley-oop and Morant’s imaginary shooting.
The controversy, however, was amplified when Bleacher Report shared the clip and added a caption alleging Morant had sprayed “imaginary bullets into section 113 after the slam.”
Which is going to get you some heat when the NBA has a gun culture image problem in the first place.
But even more so when you’ve just been suspended 25 games for brandishing a firearm in an Instagram Live video in May, which was preceded by an 8-game suspension for a similar incident in March.
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Did Ja Morant Do A Gun Celebration?
In this writer’s opinion, it looks like Ja Morant began a finger gun celebration but quickly altered it when it dawned on him what he had started.
Some social media observers suggested he altered the finger gun motion into one of him firing a bazooka which is … um, not better.
Others alleged he was mimicking dance celebrations from LSU football players which seems to be a stretch.
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Will He Be Fined?
There has been some speculation that the NBA could levy a fine against Ja Morant for the alleged gun celebration. It would likely be a precautionary move to remind the Grizzlies star that he remains on thin ice with his antics.
While Morant’s actions keep getting him into trouble, there’s no doubting what he brings to the team on the court.
Morant scored 31 points and dished out 7 assists in the 116-115 overtime victory over the Pelicans. The team had a 6-19 record prior to his return from suspension but have since reeled off four straight victories.
Morant was named Western Conference Player of the Week Tuesday after averaging 28.0 points, 9.0 assists, and 5.7 rebounds across his first three games.
Hopefully, he’ll average 0.0 finger gun celebrations through the remainder of the season.
Morant and the Grizzlies (10-19) face the Denver Nuggets (22-10) Thursday night.
What do you guys think? Was Ja Morant’s celebration a misfire or are critics shooting blanks?
