During another win on Tuesday night, Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant may have shown that he has not at all learned his lesson from a pair of gun-related suspensions by the NBA.
After an awful start to the 2023-24 NBA season, there is renewed hope in Memphis since Ja Morant has returned to the floor. After missing their first 25 games due to a suspension, the 24-year-old has jumped right back into his lead role, and to the surprise of no one the team has gone on a winning streak.
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On Tuesday night, the Grizzlies extended their streak to four with a big 116-115 come-from-behind victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. In the win, Morant was again the star of the show as he posted a game-high 31 points along with seven assists, four rebounds, and two blocks.
It is impressive how quickly he has been able to make an impact and bring playoff hopes back to a team that was near the bottom of the standings all season long. However, during the victory, he might have shown a clear sign that he hasn’t learned the necessary lessons from his two suspensions over the last year.
- Ja Morant stats (2023-24): 28.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 8.5 APG, 1.0 SPG, 17% 3PT
Ja Morant makes handgun gestures after dunk in Memphis Grizzlies win
In a big moment late in the team’s victory, Ja Morant received an alley-oop pass from teammate Marcus Smart and slammed the ball home. However, when celebrating the play following a Pelicans timeout, he made hand gestures that very much seemed like pulling the trigger on a pair of guns. Video of the moment can be found above.
It is a stunning and baffling decision by the young star considering he missed a significant amount of time last season and this season due to his apparent love for guns and showing it off to the world.
Related: Ja Morant return – Only his actions will tell if the Memphis Grizzlies star has learned his lesson
Morant was suspended midway through last season after posting a social media video brandishing a gun at a nightclub following a game against the Denver Nuggets. It was one of several incidents at the time that put the team and league in a bad light and led to him being banned for several weeks.
After serving his suspension and suffering an early ouster from the 2023 NBA playoffs, the two-time All-Star foolishly made another post on social media where he was again seen waving a handgun around during a car ride with a friend. It sent a message that the young superstar did not learn from his previous suspension and the league decided to suspend him again, this time for the first 25 games of this season.
