After Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant celebrated a dunk by appearing to mime the act of shooting guns in Tuesday's 116—115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Morant continues to face blowback from fans and former NBA players alike.
Ex-Grizzlies player Chandler Parsons was one of many to rip Morant for his reckless actions on Wednesday’s episode of FanDuel TV’s Run It Back show. In a more lighthearted but still serious discussion, former Hawks point guard Lou Williams also gave Morant an earful of advice about his celebrations.
“It’s silly at this point. It’s silly. Like, bro, what are you doing? Stop playing with fire,” Williams said on Run It Back. “The world is watching. Your fans are watching. The NBA is watching. Don't do anything, that got anything, with any kind of arms, my brother. Stop it.”
"The NBA is watching, don't do anything, that got anything, with any kind of arms, my brother. Stop it."@TeamLou23 shared his thoughts on Ja Morant's celebration. pic.twitter.com/HKYbMXJeUO
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 27, 2023
Williams added that Morant has to understand he’s going to be scrutinized for these kinds of controversial celebrations and that the two-time All Star had “no more leverage… Nobody’s giving you the benefit of the doubt anymore.”
On Tuesday, Morant was just a week removed from serving out a 25-game suspension for flashing a gun on Instagram Live for the second time. The 24-year-old guard has insisted that his dunk celebration was a homage to a dance in New Orleans, yet given Morant's tainted personal history, his antics could suggest otherwise.
The Grizzlies are 4—0 since Morant’s return and will face the Denver Nuggets at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday.
