Source: David Jensen / Getty
Ja Morant can’t seem to stop poking the bear that is the NBA front office, namely commissioner Adam Silver.
The Memphis Grizzlies star has been under fire lately for gun-waving celebrations, but instead of quitting while he’s ahead, he hilariously turned the trolling up a notch.
During Tuesday night’s game against the Charlotte Hornets, Morant celebrated a three-pointer by simulating biting a pin out of a grenade, tossing it into the crowd before running down the court, covering his ears.
The ballsy move comes after last weeks back and forth with the league that began with Morant and Golden State Warrior Buddy Hield waving fictitious guns at each other. Both got warnings, but Morant mimicked a weapon two more times in the next game. For doubling down, he was fined $75,000 for what the league called an “inappropriate” gesture, justifying the fine because “Morant was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light.”
So, logically, Morant found a workaround by using an even deadlier weapon.
However, the idea might not have even been his idea, and actually Gilbert Arenas‘, who knows a thing or two about firearms, after he infamously brought one into the Washington Wizards locker room in 2010 to settle a gambling debt with a teammate.
During a recent episode of the retired NBA player’s Gil’s Arena podcast, he suggested Morant holster his guns. His cohosts mentioned other weapons he could use, like a blow dart, bow and arrow, shooting webs like Spider-Man, or being super anticlimactic by throwing a rock. Arenas toys with the idea of a grenade-tossing celebration, and now we have to wonder if Morant is an avid listener of the podcast.
While the league may be infringing on his celebration ritual, it’s because he has a pattern with actual guns, including flashing a firearm twice on Instagram Live. He also faced a judge after getting into a fight with a minor at his home during a pickup game, and a member of his entourage trained a laser on an Indiana Pacers staff member in a slow-moving SUV.
There’s no telling how Adam Silver will react, if at all, to Morant’s move, but see how social media is feeling below.