Morant did the gesture twice this week

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After Ja Morant twice flashed gun gestures during games, the NBA came down hard on him.

The Memphis Grizzlies star was fined $75,000 for "twice making an inappropriate gesture on the playing court."

The NBA confirmed reports it had warned Morant the gesture "could be interpreted in a negative light."

Ja Morant points at Warriors — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant reacts after a basket during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors. (Petre Thomas/Imagn Images)

Morant first made the gesture Monday against the Golden State Warriors, and reports said the NBA was investigating the incident, giving Morant and Buddy Hield a warning.

On Thursday night, Morant did it again, just five minutes into a game.

Considering Morant’s history with gun-related suspensions, the gesture blew up across the basketball world. He was suspended eight games in March 2023 after brandishing a handgun on social media at the strip club Shotgun Willie’s outside Denver.

Then Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season after he flashed a handgun again on a live social media video.

Ja Morant dribbling — Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies dribbles the ball during a game against the Miami Heat April 3, 2025, at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. (Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Ahead of the suspensions, Morant found himself in trouble on more than one occasion, including one incident in which he got into a fight with a 17-year-old during a pickup basketball game at Morant's home. A judge later ruled Morant acted in self-defense. Four days earlier, Morant allegedly "threatened" the head of security at a Memphis mall, and a member of Morant's group allegedly shoved the security official in the head.

Ja Morant celebrates — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant dances as overtime expires against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. (Stephen Lew/USA Today Sports)

Morant was also placed under the microscope after a January 2023 game in which an unidentified individual in the NBA star's vehicle was accused of shining a laser pointer at the Indiana Pacers' team bus. It happened after some members of Morant's entourage were involved in a confrontation with a group of people in the Pacers' traveling party.