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Ja Morant is going deeper into his arsenal.
The Grizzlies star, who was fined $75,000 a week ago for his finger gun celebrations, has switched to throwing an imaginary grenade in an attempt to avoid further fines.
“That’s my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I’ll find another one,” Morant told reporters after a Thursday shootaround before a game against the Timberwolves.
Morant made the gesture during a 141–125 loss to the Timberwolves. He pretended to pull a pin and toss a grenade upon hitting a three and in a few instances, covered his ears as if to prepare for the invisible explosion.
The switch comes after Morant recently ignored a warning from the NBA to stop making gun gestures toward opposing benches earlier this month in multiple games.
On April 4, the NBA said in a statement it had fined Morant because he had been “previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light.”
Morant has a history with firearms—and of ignoring NBA warnings. He’s served two suspensions in his six-year career for brandishing one on social media.
The first suspension came after a March 2023 Instagram live stream from his own account that showed him with a gun at a nightclub near Denver after a loss to the Nuggets. He was suspended indefinitely and missed eight games.
Two months later, he was suspended the first 25 games of the 2023–24 after a second offense for conduct detrimental to the NBA after he brandished a firearm on another Instagram live. The suspension cost Morant $7.5 million and required him to meet certain conditions with the NBA, including regular check-ins with the league and union. He served the suspension and returned on schedule.
Morant acknowledged his past history when asked about his latest fine, which was $25,000 short of the $100,000 maximum fine he could have received from the league.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Morant said. “Just for showing people what’s pretty much been evident for the last two years.”
The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Morant’s new celebration.
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