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Only a few days after Ja Morant was fined by the NBA for a contentious celebration, the Memphis Grizzlies star was at it again.
Having apparently retired the finger-gun gesture which saw him fined $75,000 by the league, Morant celebrated a three-pointer against the Charlotte Hornets by pretending to throw a grenade into the Spectrum Center crowd.
This came in the first quarter of Tuesday’s road game as Morant feigned the pulling of a pin with his teeth before covering his ears with his hands.
Neither Morant nor Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo commented on the celebration after the game.
The NBA fined the 25-year-old point guard last week for “twice making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court” – against the Golden State Warriors, which led to a warning from the league, and then again against the Miami Heat.
Morant has previously said that he is “well aware” of the criticism he has received for the finger-gun celebration, adding that he is “kind of used to it” and “pretty much a villain for two years now.”
The NBA has already handed him two lengthy suspensions in 2023 after Morant appeared to flash a gun in Instagram live streams on two separate occasions.
The victory against the Hornets marked the Grizzlies third-straight win having fired Taylor Jenkins – the most successful coach in the team’s history – at the end of last month.
However, the win was overshadowed by a serious-looking injury to rookie Jaylen Wells, who was stretchered off the court in the second quarter after being undercut by Hornets guard KJ Simpson during a dunk attempt.
Wells appeared to land on his head and was immediately tended to by medical staff. Simpson seemed distressed by the fall and went to check on his opponent, before later being called for a flagrant 2 foul, leading to an automatic ejection.
The game was resumed after a delay of more than 20 minutes, and Iisalo later confirmed that Wells had suffered a broken wrist but was moving all of his extremities.
“Puts everything into perspective, seeing that situation and seeing Jalen there,” he told reporters. “Tough situation for everybody, he’s an incredibly tough kid, had a great season and he’s in all of our thoughts.”
Desmond Bane scored 19 points for Memphis, while Zach Edey had 17 points and 19 rebounds. The Grizzlies are seventh in the Western Conference with a 47-32 record and next face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.
