Ja Morant's grenade celly explodes as former Laker pays energetic homage

Ja Morant has been at the center of the latest NBA controversy as he tries to find a celebration that doesn't trigger fines or a possible suspension from Adam Silver. After being fined $75,000 for using a finger-gun celebration against the Miami Heat after receiving a verbal warning from the league, Ja Morant changed to a grenade celebration. It has caught on, even being mimicked by a former NBA player.

Kendrick Nunn was drafted by the Miami Heat back in 2019 and spent four years bouncing around the NBA, including stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards. For the last two seasons, though, Nunn has played in the Euroleague as a member of Panathinaikos. He has been a leader of the team, but he made waves when he paid homage to Ja Morant.

Similarly to Ja Morant, Nunn pulled out his new celebration after hitting a three. As he back-pedaled down the court, he mimed pulling the pin of a grenade and throwing it into the crowd. After his celebration was captured on video and posted to social media, Nunn took to X to shout out the Memphis Grizzlies guard who inspired his new celebration.

Kendrick Nunn is one of the first professional players outside of the Memphis Grizzlies support Ja Morant's newest celebration, but former and current players have been cautious when sharing opinions about what the All-Star guard is doing. Some NBA analysts and former players believe that he is intentionally trying to provoke the league offices, seeing what he can get away with.

Ja Morant could trigger further punishment from the NBA if his celebrations cross the line

Ja Morant's new celebrations have caused concern amongst NBA players and analysts because of the young guard's history with firearms. Two years ago, Morant was handed two different suspensions that saw him miss more than 30 games across two seasons after multiple videos surfaced of him handling a firearm.

His history, along with how bold he is with how he expresses himself during games, has fans concerned that if he continues to do his new grenade celebration, Morant could be handed more expensive fines from the league. However, Morant doesn't seem to be concerned.

"That's my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I'll find another one," Morant told reporters about his new move.

Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are in the log jam in the Western Conference playoff standings as they fight to stay within the top six seeds. If Morant continues to toe the line with his new celebrations, Adam Silver could make the decision that he needs to sent a more serious message to the guard and suspend him for a playoff game, which could spell doom for the Grizzlies' championship hopes.