News broke on Wednesday that the NBA was investigating Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for the finger-gun gesture he made toward the Golden State Warriors’ bench. Morant had been previously suspended on two separate occasions for firearm-related issues.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes that an investigation on the issue leading up to the playoffs is unnecessary. In a post on X, he responded to Shams Charania’s report that the league was looking into the incident and would talk to everyone involved.
“Come on NBA—and the rest of us. Totally unnecessary. Let Ja Morant play in peace. Let’s not look for things,” Smith wrote. “The playoffs are about to begin. Let’s enjoy the games. Morant didn’t do anything flagrant. Folks are reaching now.”
Come on @NBA — and the rest of us. Totally unnecessary. Let @JaMorant play in peace. Let’s not look for things. The playoffs are about to begin. Let’s enjoy the games. Morant didn’t do anything flagrant. Folks are reaching now. https://t.co/cmeWaGgYBu
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 2, 2025
Morant was handed an eight-game suspension followed by a 25-game suspension for waving firearms on Instagram live in the past. Depending on the result of the league’s investigation, Morant could be suspended yet again, and it could derail Memphis’ hopes of running deep in the playoffs.
The Grizzlies are currently tied for sixth place in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves, half a game ahead of the LA Clippers and half a game behind the fifth-ranked Golden State Warriors.
Ja Morant reacts to news of investigation of his gesture
Following their loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Ja Morant took to X to react to the news that the NBA will be investigating the gesture he made toward the Warriors’ bench.
On Wednesday, Morant, who doesn’t frequently post on social media, made his first post on X since March 27.
“Ja this, Ja that.”
ja this .. ja that .. 😂
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) April 2, 2025
Around the same time, NBA fans began sharing clips of other NBA players throughout the league performing the same gesture Morant did, some of which happened during this season.
One clip saw Dyson Daniels pretending to aim a gun at the pelicans bench after a three-point shot. Another fan shared an old clip of LeBron James, back when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers, pretending to fire a gun into the air and reload it. Former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah used to shoot finger pistols while running back to go on defense before retiring the celebratory gesture in 2012.
Some are wondering if the league is taking Morant’s past infractions into consideration during the investigation on his actions on Tuesday.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
