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Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant landed himself in hot water on Tuesday when he made a gun sign directed at members of the Golden State Warriors.
While there was some talk that Buddy Hield may have made the same gesture towards Morant first, fans on social media have shared numerous photos showing Morant and other players around the league doing the same gesture this season.
Former Chicago Bulls guard Jay Williams believes that there's some hypocrisy surrounding the way Morant is being treated compared to other players. On Friday, he shared his thoughts on the situation on X.
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"I understand there’s context around Ja Morant. But I can’t shake this thought: We live in a country obsessed with guns—glorified in film, music, and even marketing. So when an NBA player mimics that energy on the court… we’re outraged? You can’t profit from the image and punish the imitation," Williams tweeted.
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He then followed it up by sharing a picture of Luka Doncic making the same gesture toward the direction of Aaron Gordon and the Denver Nuggets on March 19, when the two teams clashed in LA, pointing out that there was no outrage when the Slovenian star did it.
NBA fines Ja Morant $75,000 for firearm gesture during Grizzlies-Warriors game, and again during Grizzlies-Heat game
After Ja Morant made a firearm gesture towards Buddy Hield and the Golden State Warriors earlier on Tuesday, reports emerged that the NBA was investigating the matter. The league also planned to look into Buddy Hield for his role in the situation.
Morant made his feelings known about it.
"ja this .. ja that .." Morant tweeted on Wednesday.
Two days later, Morant again made the same gesture in Memphis' win over the Miami Heat.
On Friday, NBA Executive VP and Head of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced that the league was fining Morant $75,000. According to the press release, Morant had already been warned by the NBA about making the gesture.
However, there's been no acknowledgment from the league regarding other players like Dyson Daniels, Brandin Podziemski or Luka Doncic doing the gesture.
It remains to be seen whether the NBA will crack down on players using firearm celebrations in the future.
