Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant fined US$75,000 for using finger-gun gesture during game

Memphis Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Lisalo talks to guard Ja Morant (12) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been fined US$75,000 for twice using a finger-gun gesture during a game on Thursday, the National Basketball Association said.

The gestures by Morant, who has been suspended twice by the NBA for showing a handgun on social media, were made during the Grizzlies’ win at the Miami Heat.

According to the NBA, Morant was previously warned by the league office that the finger-gun gesture could be interpreted in a negative light.

The two-time All-Star, who was selected by Memphis with the second pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, was banned for eight games without pay in March 2023 for brandishing a firearm in an Instagram Live video.

Morant was also hit with a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 season after a video of him posing with a firearm surfaced online.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)