Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has a reputation for violence, and his newest on-court celebrations have damaged his image. After flashing finger guns and throwing a “grenade” at the crowd, Morant is in hot water once again, but he says that nothing will keep him from being himself both on and off the court.
“Listen, it’s not what you think it is. I’m taking my words, and I’m throwing them out there,” said Morant. “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.”
NBA players are encouraged to celebrate their victories, but there is a limit on what they are allowed to do on the court. Anything that insinuates violence or that can be deemed as disrespectful is subject to a response from the NBA. In the case of Morant, the NBA felt like it had to act given his history of scandals.
It all began in March of 2023, when Ja was suspended for eight games following an Instagram Live video that showed him brandishing a handgun near a Denver nightclub. Two months later, the Grizzlies’ star posted a video with his gun in a car, which earned him a 25-game suspension for the 2023-24 campaign. Unfortunately, that’s just the start of Ja’s controversial history.
While not confirmed, Morant has been accused of making threats and physically assaulting a 17-year-old during a pick-up basketball game. He’s also been tied to an incident involving a red laser pointer that was aimed at players walking back to the team bus.
Ja already served his 25-game suspension, but his reputation has yet to recover. As he continues to struggle on the court (down to 23.0 points and 7.3 assists per game this season), Morant has shown no signs of growth, and fans are losing faith that he’ll ever change.
The latest evidence of this is Ja’s new on-court celebrations. In the span of a few days, Ja was caught three times making violent or inappropriate gestures: finger guns against the Kings and Heat, and then his iconic grenade toss that went viral on X this week.
Ja was already fined $75,000 for his finger gun celebration, but it seems he just can’t let it go. For whatever reason, Morant considers those themes to be part of his identity, and it will cause him trouble for the rest of his career.
At 25 years old, Morant still has time to remake his image, but it’s going to require a serious change in attitude for the young point guard. If he can just avoid using symbols of violence on the court, Ja could rise as a worthy leader for the Grizzlies.
Until he does that, however, they will continue to struggle on the court. At sixth in the West (47-32), the Grizzlies have a tough road ahead, and they will need complete focus and humility to come out of the West and put some respect back on their name.
