SI

NBA Fines Ja Morant $75,000 After Pair of Finger-Gun Gestures

The league isn't messing around with the Grizzlies' star.

Patrick Andres

Ja Morant shoots against the Celtics on March 31.
Ja Morant shoots against the Celtics on March 31. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant pushed the NBA's buttons with a pair of finger-gun gestures—and now he is paying the price.

The league is fining Morant $75,000 for the gestures, it announced in a Friday morning release. Morant, 25, made one gesture against the Golden State Warriors Tuesday (incurring a warning) and one against the Miami Heat Thursday, which he brushed off postgame.

"Morant was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light," the NBA's statement said.

In 2023, Morant incurred the wrath of the league for twice appearing to flash guns on Instagram Live. He was suspended twice—first for eight games and then for 25.

The events marked a shift in both the marketing and public perception of Morant; he'd previously been bandied about as a potential American face of the league after a breakthrough 2022 season.

Morant's Grizzlies are scheduled to play the Detroit Pistons Saturday.

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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .

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