On Thursday, the NBA issued warnings to Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield after both mimicked shooting a gun during Tuesday’s game.
The warning wasn’t enough for Morant, who used the same celebration about four minutes into Thursday night’s 110-108 victory against the Miami Heat.
Players in the league have been doing that gesture for years, especially after making a three-point shot. Even though the gesture involves pretending to shoot a weapon, players and teams involved in Tuesday’s incident said they were not making violent gestures.
‘I’m kind of used to it,’ Morant said after Thursday’s game. ‘I was pretty much a villain for two years now. Every little thing, if somebody can say something negative about me, it’s going to be out there. So, yeah. I don’t care no more.’
Morant may not care, but the NBA certainly does, and he may be under scrutiny again by the league after making the same gun gesture during Thursday’s game.
In the first quarter of the 110-108 Memphis win, Morant hit a 3-pointer and immediately made a gesture that mimicked a gun.
Morant later hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer, which kept Memphis in the sixth spot in the Western Conference with five regular-season games remaining.