Ja Morant has now been fined $75k by the NBA after making more finger-gun gestures in a game against the Miami Heat on Thursday night. This comes after Morant was under investigation from the league after making similar gestures against the Warriors just days ago. He has also been punished by the NBA after multiple instances of showing guns on Instagram live videos. While Morant simultaneously can’t seem to stop making these finger-gun gestures, his play on the court doesn’t seem to be affected. He hit the buzzer-beater for the 110-108 win against Miami, finishing with a total of 30 points, five rebounds, and three assists.
Before Morant’s most recent incidents, he has already been suspended twice by the NBA for featuring firearms on multiple Instagram live videos last year. As one of the league’s top young stars, Morant has acknowledged his past wrongdoings. However, as seen in Memphis’s Tuesday and Thursday games, he continues to reference and make gestures relating to what originally got him in hot water.
Morant made finger guns after celebrating a three-pointer against Golden State on Tuesday and did the same thing against Miami on Thursday. While he was given a technical foul for his actions against the Warriors, he initially received no on-court punishment for the same thing against the Heat. The NBA did review the footage for the first incident resulting in just a warning, but most recently they’ve fined him $75k for his gesture on Thursday night.
“I’m kind of used to it,” Morant said postgame on Thursday night. “I was pretty much a villain for two years now. Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it’s going to be out there. So, yeah. I don’t care no more.”
Morant seems to have turned heel after being one of the most popular young stars in the league. While he originally seemed genuinely apologetic for the Instagram Live incidents last season, his actions on the court this week don’t reflect that same sentiment. While Morant was just given a warning from the NBA for the finger-gun gesture against the Warriors, he did point it toward the Golden State bench. The same can’t be said for the same action against the Heat, as at that time it was gestured towards his bench in an almost purposeful and deliberate manner.
For the first incident, the league said that the “celebrations were not intended to be violent in nature, but inappropriate and should refrain.” It is hard to place any certain intention on Morant’s finger-guns. The fact that he knowingly continues to make that gesture shows that he doesn’t seem to care about the potential consequences from the NBA. The league claims that they don’t take previous instances into account when making these judgments, but for Morant, it seems that this is quickly becoming a pattern.
What seems to be clouded by Morant’s finger-guns is the fact that he hit the buzzer-beater against the Heat. The game was close throughout all 48 minutes, and it quickly turned into an individual duel between Morant and Miami’s Tyler Herro. Miami was down by two with 30 seconds to go, and Bam Adebayo blocked a Morant layup to give the Heat a chance to tie the game.
After collecting the rebound, Herro was able to hit a mid-range floater to tie the game at 108-108 with 13.8 seconds to go. On the final possession of the game, Morant got the switch onto Miami’s Kel’el Ware, drove to the hoop, and turned for the fadeaway shot in the paint for the win. In a similar style to Kawhi Leonard’s legendary winner against the 76ers in 2019, Morant’s shot bounced off the rim multiple times before falling in at the buzzer to give Memphis the win.
The Grizzlies had lost four straight games heading into this one, and it was the first win for interim head coach Tuomas Ilisalo after the team fired Taylor Jenkins last week. For Memphis, Desmond Bane and Scottie Pippen Jr. each scored 17 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie Jaylen Wells each had 13. For Miami, Herro led the way with 35 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, followed by Adebayo’s 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
With the win, Memphis moves to 45-32, as they continue to be in the middle of a tight Western Conference battle for home-court advantage. As of Friday, they are in the sixth seed, tied with Minnesota for the same record and 1.5 games behind the Lakers for the fourth seed. Despite the loss, Miami clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In tournament, currently with a half-game lead over Chicago for the ninth seed.
While at the same time, Morant can’t seem to stop making finger-gun gestures, he’s also playing at a high level in the last few weeks of the season. While Memphis has struggled to win games, as seen with the firing of Jenkins, Morant averaged 29.5 points on 50.3% shooting in March and 33 points on 56.8% shooting in April. He’s playing his best basketball of the season, but there’s a chance his on-the-court antics could cost both him and the team in the most important stretch of the regular season.
The Grizzlies are dealing with an insanely difficult playoff positioning battle while at the same time adapting to a new head coach, they don’t need Morant to create any more difficulties. At his best, he’s a proven star that can change the direction of a team, but that’s only if he stays out of his own way. The game-winner against Miami was proof that Morant can lead Memphis to postseason success, while at the same time, his finger-guns could be the reason for their downfall.
Morant has had an up-and-down first six seasons of his NBA career, and if his actions this week show anything, it is that he will decide the direction and future of his impact in the league.
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
