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The Memphis Grizzlies are in a tight race for one of the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. Ja Morant has been taking center-stage over the last few weeks, not only for his improved play, but his celebrations and gestures as well.
The NBA fined Morant $75,000 last week following two instances of celebrations where he pretended to be holding a gun and aiming it at the opposing team's bench. Now, a new celebration has emerged.
Ja Morant reveals truth behind new grenade celebration
During the Grizzlies' home loss against the Golden State Warriors last week, an above-the-basket camera caught Ja Morant making a gesture involving an imaginary weapon, and the clip quickly spread on social media. Many questioned what Morant was thinking while others wondered if the league would get involved again.
During the team's next game against the Miami Heat, hours after he and Warriors guard Buddy Hield received warnings from the NBA about the gun gesture/celebration, Morant did it again.
Ja Morant brought out the finger gun gesture after making this three during Grizzlies-Heat.
Earlier today, the NBA gave Morant and Warriors guard Buddy Hield a warning about doing this celebration.pic.twitter.com/CFoiu8wDDz https://t.co/qg2KIVS9dN
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 4, 2025
Morant was subsequently fined $75,000 for the celebration, the NBA announced in a press release, “for twice making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court,” while adding, “Morant was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light.”
In the Grizzlies' recent win over the Charlotte Hornets, Morant introduced a new celebration, which appeared to be him pulling the pin out of an imaginary grenade, tossing it into the stands, and covering up his ears. That's what everyone interpreted the new celebration as anyways.
After the game, Grind City Media's Michael Wallace caught up with Morant and asked him about the new celebration, via The Gary Parrish Show.
“He described what the new celebration is, and I know he understood that the other gesture landed him in hot water again,” Wallace said of Morant. “From the league's perspective, they warned him about that kind of thing. So now he said, ‘Listen, this is what I'm going to do,' and these are in Ja's words, ‘Listen, it's not what you think it is. I'm taking my words, and I'm throwing them out there. I'm speaking Ja. I'm being Ja. I'm going to take my words, I'm going to throw them out there, and then I'm going to block out the noise. And that's what I'm doing. So when you see me do that, that's what I'm doing. I'm saying what I got to say to the world, and I'm blocking out the noise in the midst of what's coming back my way. And that's how it's going to be.'
“I got a laugh out of him. And he said it with a serious, straight face.”
Ja Morant is having a down season by his standards, averaging 23.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. It's his lowest scoring average and field goal percentage in a season since his second year in the league in 2020-21.
Morant has certainly ramped things up since the calendar flipped to March, averaging 30.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.3 percent from the field.
The Grizzlies have just three games remaining, including what feels like a do-or-die game on Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Memphis holds a 47-32 record and a win against Minnesota (46-33) will put a two-game gap between them with two games remaining.
A win for the Grizzlies would also vault them into a three way tie with the Denver Nuggets and LA Clippers for the fourth, fifth, and sixth seeds in the West.
