Former NBA forward Chandler Parsons questioned Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s decision to do what appeared to be a gun celebration after beating the New Orleans Pelicans.
Morant was dancing, but Parsons believes the superstar should avoid all gun dances.
Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of this season. He was suspended in mid-June for posing with a gun in a livestream video on Instagram in May.
The Grizzlies are 4-0 with Morant in the lineup. They have beaten the Pelicans (twice), Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers.
Morant is averaging 28.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 8.5 assists on the season while shooting 50.6% from the field, 16.7% from beyond the arc and 81.5% from the free-throw line.
“The tough part was not being able to be out there and enjoy and have fun with my guys, but now that I’m out there, I’m making sure that we’re all having fun no matter what,” Morant said after the Grizzlies beat the Pacers last week. “So that was pretty much just my message. You could just tell by the energy of the team. We catch a lob, you got the bench going crazy, you got the players screaming, yelling, dapping each other up. That’s our type of basketball. That’s how we are. That’s the team we are, the people we are.”
Parsons is right in the sense that Morant should refrain from doing gun celebrations. The NBA is watching Morant carefully since the All-Star has shown a gun on IG Live two times in the past.
Morant signed a five-year, $194.3 million designated rookie contract extension with the Grizzlies in July 2022. He has career averages of 22.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists.
More must-reads: