Jason Kelce validates Ja Morant's gun celebration with iconic moniker for Jazz legend

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was sanctioned by the league due to his choice of celebration. He was warned for doing the "finger gun" gesture on April 1 against the Golden State Warriors, then was fined $75k for doing it again against the Miami Heat on April 3.

He has since switched to a different celly where he appears to chuck an imaginary grenade after a made basket. While Morant has switched things up, Super Bowl LII champion Jason Kelce thinks it's ridiculous that he was sanctioned for his original celebration.

Kelce shared his thoughts on the "New Heights" podcast on Friday with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell as a special guest.

"In the idea of a basketball game, shooting is more like I'm killing it, like I'm shooting the basketball," Kelce said. "Pistol Pete is one of the most iconic NBA players of all time. His name is a gun." (16:51-17:01)

"Pistol" Pete Maravich is one of the legends of the game from a bygone era. He played from 1970-1980. He played the first four years of his career with the Atlanta Hawks but was traded to the Jazz in 1974.

At the time, the Jazz were the league's newest expansion team and were based in New Orleans.

During his time with the Jazz, Maravich earned three All-Star nods (1977-79) and two All-NBA first teams (1976 and 1977). He had the best season of his career during the 1976-77 campaign when he led the league in scoring with 31.1 points per game.

Maravich earned the monicker "Pistol" not because he celebrated with finger guns like Ja Morant. Instead, he was called that due to his shooting form in high school. According to Maravich, he shot the ball one-handed from his hip due to his size and lack of strength.

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Donovan Mitchell approves of Ja Morant's new celebration

Ja Morant has a controversial past with guns. On two occasions, he was seen flashing a firearm on a livestream, which led to two different suspensions. He was first suspended for eight games in March 2023 and was suspended for 25 games to begin the 2023-24 campaign.

His previous history with firearms is likely a contributing factor as to why he was warned and subsequently fined for his gun celly.

Since switching things up, though, Morant has gone viral. His new grenade celebration has caused waves and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell approves of it.

Mitchell shared his thoughts on Morant's new gesture on New Heights when he guested on Friday.

"He's got the grenades now," Mitchell said. "I'll say this, that celebration is hard, though. Not gonna lie that celebration is hard."

Ja Morant's newest celebration sees him pulling the pin off an imaginary grenade before chucking it. Then, he places his hands on either side of his head to cover his ears.

According to the Grizzlies guard, what this gesture means is that he's just going to throw his words out there and then block out the noise.