Is Ja Morant really a playable character in GTA 6? Examining viral rumors

There have been viral posts that Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant will allegedly be a playable character in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game. Posts on X have shown a character with features similar to those of the two-time NBA All-Star. However, there has been no official news from the game developers about the legitimacy of what has gone around.

Rockstar Games has not made a statement regarding the rumored involvement of Morant for GTA 6. The screenshots that have gone around have been edited. They've attached a head similar to Morant on the body of Franklin Clinton, one of the three main characters in GTA 5.

The screenshot is from the "Hood Safari" mission from the game's latest iteration.

This isn't the first time the former NBA Most Improved Player has been linked to the video game. In November 2023, there were edited images of Morant on the cover of the same video game. Again, the image was altered using the body of Franklin and added a face similar to the 2020 Rookie of the Year.

Fans usually make fun of Morant for being part of the popular video game due to what happened to him. In March 2023, he was suspended by the league after he showed a firearm while doing a live stream on Instagram. This caused him to be investigated by the NBA.

Two months later, he got into trouble with the league again after flashing a gun while doing another Instagram live stream. The league suspended him for a total of 33 games following the two incidents.

On April 1, he went viral again for his on-court actions in their game against the Golden State Warriors. Warriors' Buddy Hield made a gun gesture at Ja Morant during the game. The Grizzlies star returned the favor by doing the same gesture at Hield.

The incident led the NBA to conduct a brief investigation. Fortunately for the players, they only received two warnings from the association.

Ja Morant takes Gilbert Arenas' suggestion

One former player who knows a thing or two about being suspended because of a firearm is Gilbert Arenas. During Monday's episode of his show, "Gil's Arena," the former NBA player suggested a few celebrations for Ja Morant.

One suggestion was that he shouldn't be doing the gun-shooting gesture. Instead, Arenas suggested that putting the finger guns in the holster could be a good idea. Another suggestion was for him to act like he was throwing a grenade.

On Tuesday's 124-100 win against the Charlotte Hornets, Morant took Arenas' suggestion. After hitting a 3-pointer, he did the grenade celebration the former Washington Wizards star recommended.

So far, Ja Morant's recent celebrations haven't gotten into trouble with the league.