Ja Morant was recently reprimanded by the NBA for shooting fake pistols into the air, at opponents and into the crowd. In response, he switched to a hand grenade.
The 25-year-old point guard does not seem to care what people think about him or his actions and will continue to do what he wants until someone stops him. Meanwhile, the youth is following in his footsteps.
Morant, one of the biggest stars in the NBA, was suspended 25 games at the start of the 2023-24 season for conduct detrimental to the league. He repeatedly brandished firearms a Morant was suspended by the NBA for 25 games at the start of the 2023-24 season due to conduct detrimental to the league. The Memphis Grizzlies point guard repeatedly brandished real weapons in real life.
Thus, the NBA was not thrilled when Morant pretended to shoot finger pistols toward the Golden State Warriors’ bench at the beginning of this month. The league gave him a warning but he doubled down, which led to a $75,000 fine.
Morant got the message and stopped shooting fake guns. However, he immediately pivoted to throwing fake grenades instead.
When asked about the new celebration, Ja Morant vowed to continue.
That’s my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I’ll find another one.
— Ja Morant
“Somebody else” obviously refers to commissioner Adam Silver. He dares the league to stop him.
The NBA said that Morant’s finger-gun taunt “could be interpreted in a negative light.” I would image it feels the same about the grenades. What message does this send to the next generation of hoopers?!
Five-star small forward recruit Tounde Yessoufou answered that question at the Nike Hoop Summit on Saturday night. The Baylor signee mimicked Morant’s fake grenade toss after a big triple against the United States.
Baylor commit Tounde Yessoufou hits a three and does the Ja Morant “grenade” celebration at the Nike Hoop Summit pic.twitter.com/T8IshuVtrq
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 13, 2025
Ja Morant doesn’t seem to understand why he keeps getting in trouble with the NBA. Yessoufou’s celebration is the perfect example. His influence is much greater than he might think!