{"id":64673,"date":"2025-04-02T09:53:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T13:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/?p=64673"},"modified":"2025-04-02T09:53:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T13:53:54","slug":"ja-morants-finger-gun-controversy-what-happened-and-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/ja-morants-finger-gun-controversy-what-happened-and-whats-next\/64673\/","title":{"rendered":"Ja Morant\u2019s finger-gun controversy: What happened and what\u2019s next?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As the Memphis Grizzlies wrap up a rollercoaster season, star guard Ja Morant has once again found himself at the center of controversy\u2014this time for an on-court gesture that has sparked debate over potential disciplinary action.<\/p>\n

During the final seconds of the Grizzlies\u2019 April 1 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Morant and Warriors guard Buddy Hield were both hit with technical fouls for what appeared to be an exchange of finger-gun gestures.<\/p>\n

The incident unfolded as Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III was at the free-throw line, with Golden State holding a 132-125 lead. From the Warriors bench, Hield seemingly directed a gesture toward Morant. As Morant walked toward the Grizzlies\u2019 bench after a timeout was called, he quickly responded with the same motion\u2014beating Hield to it in what seemed to be a brief back-and-forth.<\/p>\n

Golden State players, including Draymond Green, immediately reacted, and the referees assessed double technicals. While it was a short-lived exchange, the moment has raised concerns given Morant\u2019s past gun-related incidents.<\/p>\n

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Could Ja Morant face suspension?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So far, the NBA has not announced any additional punishment beyond the technical foul. While that\u2019s a good sign for Morant\u2019s availability, the league could still issue a fine if it deems the gesture inappropriate.<\/p>\n

If further action is taken, it might prompt Morant to reconsider his 3-point celebration, which has been under scrutiny before.<\/p>\n

The controversy surrounding Morant\u2019s gesture isn\u2019t just about this single incident\u2014it\u2019s the context behind it.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old guard has a history of gun-related controversies, including:<\/p>\n

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    January 2023:<\/strong> Morant\u2019s associates were accused of pointing a laser, believed to be attached to a firearm, at members of the Indiana Pacers\u2019 traveling party.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    March 2023:<\/strong> A lawsuit claimed Morant brandished a gun during a pickup basketball altercation, though he was never charged.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    March 2023 (later that month):<\/strong> Morant appeared on Instagram Live flashing a firearm at a Colorado nightclub, leading to an eight-game suspension.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    May 2023:<\/strong> Just two months later, he again displayed a gun on Instagram Live, resulting in a 25-game suspension.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

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    December 2023:<\/strong> In his fourth game back from suspension, Morant\u2019s on-court celebration was questioned but later clarified as a New Orleans cultural reference.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Given this history, even an innocent gesture can be magnified into something much bigger for Morant.<\/p>\n

    It remains to be seen whether the NBA will impose further discipline, but Morant is likely under heightened scrutiny. Even if no additional action is taken, the controversy serves as a reminder that every move he makes\u2014on and off the court\u2014will be watched closely.<\/p>\n

    For now, the Grizzlies and Morant will try to move past this latest incident and focus on finishing their season strong.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As the Memphis Grizzlies wrap up a rollercoaster season, star guard Ja Morant has once again found himself at the\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":64674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[24970],"class_list":["post-64673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-ja-morant"],"reading_time":"3 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}