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Ja Morant ripped by Inside the NBA crew for grenade celebration

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Nathan Yasis | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 11:35 AM ET

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant drew fresh attention earlier this week after pulling off a grenade celebration—just days after being fined $75,000 for making gun gestures. The move quickly sparked backlash, with former NBA players and Inside the NBA analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith criticizing Morant’s decision during Thursday night’s broadcast.

Before the game, Morant seemingly defended his newest celebration stating, “That’s my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I’ll find another one.”

“He has a history that maybe he should leave the celebrations where people might die alone,” remarked Kenny Smith.

Although Morant claims the celebration represents him blocking out outside noise, NBA legend Charles Barkley wasn’t buying it. During halftime of the Grizzlies-Timberwolves game on TNT, Barkley made it clear he wasn’t impressed.

“I know one person’s happy right now,” noted Charles Barkley. “Taylor Jenkins ain’t got to deal with this crap. He’s going to get another job that he deserves. [He’s saying], ‘I don’t have to deal with this immature stuff.'”

Jenkins, of course, was unexpectedly dismissed by the Grizzlies in March, a move that caught many around the league off guard.

Ja Morant with the Grizzlies this year

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) drives to the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) defends during the fourth quarter at FedExForum. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Morant, previously suspended 25 games for flashing a gun on Instagram Live, was recently warned by the NBA for making finger gun gestures toward Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield. Despite the warning, he repeated the gesture the following night to celebrate a three-pointer against the Miami Heat.

The 25-year-old is experiencing a down year by his standards, posting averages of 23.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. This marks his lowest scoring average and field goal percentage since his second season in 2020-21.

However, the Grizzlies star has certainly stepped up his game since March, averaging 30.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 51.3 percent from the field.

Despite the loss, the Grizzlies still hold a playoff spot but are pushing hard to avoid the play-in. Currently locked into the No. 7 seed, they would square off with the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round.

With two games left, Memphis trails the Golden State Warriors by a tiebreaker for the sixth seed and sits just one game behind both the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers, who are battling for the fourth and fifth positions.

The Timberwolves will close out their regular season against the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz, two teams already out of playoff contention with nothing left to play for. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, face a tougher path — a road game against Denver on Friday, then a home showdown with the playoff-hungry Mavericks on Sunday.

Fans have had mixed reactions to Morant’s new gesture. While the NBA hasn’t addressed the grenade celebration yet, it’s likely the league won’t overlook it for long.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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