Ja Morant is back on the Grizzlies bench due to a hip injury that required him to use crutches to be mobile. While on the bench and cheering on his teammates against the Lakers, fans noticed an all too familiar hand gesture from Morant. He was seen waving his hand in a ‘gun-like’ motion at Anthony Davis after Santi Aldama drained a 3 from the corner.
Fans didn’t appreciate this from Ja one bit due to his history with firearms and the subsequent suspensions he served because of it. They took to social media quickly to express their distaste for the situation.
The main reason for why the public doesn’t resonate with Ja in particular being the one who indulges in this type of a celebration is because of how much his career suffered due to it. He was seen brandishing a firearm on Instagram live and was handed a 25 game suspension to start the 2023-24 season off.
Seeing a player as young and talented as Ja have to constantly deal with these issues is a sore sight for the eyes. Fans calling for the NBA to suspend him for this celebration is taking things a tad too far however as it can technically be classified as ‘merely a celebration’.
The argument for Morant is the fact that a trove of other NBA players have showcased the same ‘gun-like’ hand gesture celebration in the past and still do. Mikal Bridges’ iconic 3-finger point is awfully close to what fans shame Ja for doing but there has never been any pushback against Bridges.
Reiterating what has already been established, it’s the history behind Ja’s connection to firearms that has viewers alarmed. When speaking to Jalen Rose about the infamous IG live video, he made sure to let the public know his actions don’t speak for who he truly is within.
“The gun wasn’t mine. It’s not who I am. I don’t condone any type of violence but I take full responsibility for my actions. I made a bad mistake.”
There has been no word as of yet on the current situation with Ja pointing his fingers at AD. It’s highly unlikely any action would be taken against him nor will there be any acknowledgement from the Grizzlies All-Star’s side either. This will likely be something online patrons discuss and soon forget about as Ja ramps up for his return to the court in due time.