Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Jeff Smith

Ja Morant Responds Amid Heavy Criticism for Celebration in Grizzlies’ Win Over Pelicans

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant faced heavy scrutiny following a celebration after a big dunk during Tuesday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans. While Morant celebrated by dancing toward the crowd, some people on social media believed he was miming shooting fake guns.

The moment came just four games after Morant’s return from a 25-game suspension that stemmed from the Grizzlies guard showing guns on Instagram Live twice. But on Wednesday, a few responses to the controversy picked up steam, pointing to the fact that Morant was not pretending to wave guns, but instead doing a popular dance in New Orleans, as seen below.

Late Tuesday night, Morant’s responded, signaling that this was exactly what he was doing after the dunk.

As for Morant’s return to the court, he was named the Western Conference player of the week following his return and has led to the Grizzlies to four consecutive wins. Morant has averaged 28.8 points, 8.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 50.6% from the field.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.