The Memphis Grizzlies have been facing a fair amount of internal upheaval in recent weeks. Along with the firing of their head coach, Taylor Jenkins, franchise point guard Ja Morant was fined by the NBA for using finger gun gestures in consecutive games. The second instance led to a hefty $75,000 fine from the NBA based on Morant’s history. At least he seems to have changed the celebration.
During their 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Morant celebrated a made three-pointer by gesturing a grenade toss into the crowd instead of his finger guns.
Ja Morant with the new “grenade”celebration 😬 https://t.co/vp0e2mVFkh
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) April 9, 2025
A grenade toss is wild and seems to be Morant’s way of rebelling against the NBA cracking down on his celebrations. It’s a slippery slope for the league, as they’re actively looking to remove negative connotations about their players or the league. Responding to fines on gun gestures by imitating a grenade toss is an escalation, but one that’s easier to explain away if questioned.
Morant had a phenomenal game with 28 points (10-21 FG) and eight assists, continuing his resurgence of form since Jenkins’ dismissal. The franchise is 47-32 after tonight’s win, eagerly looking to win their final three games of the season to ensure passage into the postseason.
After spending most of the season amongst the top four, a rough patch of form before Jenkins’ firing saw the team drop as low as the No. 8 seed. But with a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, they’ve temporarily taken the No. 5 seed. They’re guaranteed to end the night in No. 6 if the Golden State Warriors win their matchup tonight.
Morant has averaged 23.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 7.3 assists this season. He struggled for most of the year and didn’t even get any buzz for an All-Star selection. He seems to be thriving right now, and the Grizzlies will be motivated to not only secure a top-six seed but make a run through the NBA Playoffs.
All of this will happen if we assume that Morant isn’t punished again by the NBA for this gesture. It doesn’t seem as clear-cut as a gun gesture, but it doesn’t look like the NBA can take any real action. Morant can simply claim he was gesturing throwing a water balloon, and the matter would reach an early conclusion.
Questioning Morant’s non-basketball intentions with these gestures is silly. The guard is trying to rile the league office up due to how aggressively they’ve policed his actions over the last two years. While many would rightly say it’s justified after Morant’s actions a few years ago, others would implore them to let the point guard find his way.
If the NBA feel too offended or believe Morant is getting too brash, they’ll likely find their own ways to discipline him.
