Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant is back to making headlines and creating buzz across the NBA– but once again, for all the wrong reasons.
On Tuesday evening, Morant was issued a warning from the league after flashing a finger-gun gesture against the Golden State Warriors. Apparently unfazed, the Memphis guard made yet another gesture on Thursday night, this time against the Miami Heat.
Morant wasn’t able to get off with just a warning this time around, as it was announced on Friday that the NBA had fined him $75,000 for his actions. The league had previously warned him that these gun gestures “could be interpreted in a negative light,” leaving him little wiggle room to defend his actions against the Heat.
This marks yet another head-scratching chapter in a years-long saga involving Morant and firearm-related controversies. In 2023, the two-time All-Star was hit with a pair of suspensions for two separate videos that showed him flashing a gun to the camera. The latter suspension saw him sidelined for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Less than a month after making his debut that season, Morant suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder that forced him to miss the rest of the year. Since then, he has fared well in his return to the hardwood in 2024-25, averaging 22.9 points and 7.3 assists per game.
Morant even went on to hit a game-winner against Miami on Thursday night, but any positive buzz around the shot has seemingly vanished as more scrutiny has arisen surrounding his behavior. The Grizzlies currently sit at sixth in the Western Conference with a 45-32 record — only two games behind the third-place Denver Nuggets.
