The NBA sometimes feels like a TV series where the writers can’t hold a pause. You barely get used to one storyline — and there’s already a new one. With Ja Morant it’s basically a classic: trade rumors live almost as steadily as his highlights.
People said all sorts of things — up to “he won’t play for Memphis again” and “he’s practically in Miami already, even bought a house.” And then, against that backdrop, Morant appears… in a Grizzlies uniform, and on an international stage too — in London against Orlando.
And he didn’t just “go through the motions.”
24 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds.
The result: a calm 126:109 win. No nerves, no drama on the scoreboard. The drama is only around it.
“Outside noise” seems to be the league’s official currency
Memphis head coach Tuomas Iisalo responded to the talk in the most grown-up way possible: the team focuses on what it can control, and the noise is a normal part of the NBA and shouldn’t affect the day-to-day work.
Translated into plain English:
“We can’t shut up the internet — we can only practice properly and win games.”
But the most talked-about thing wasn’t even the double-double
Of course, everyone noticed something else: Morant put on another celebration show. And no, this time it wasn’t “finger guns.”
Now — a bazooka.
And this is where it gets delicate: with almost any other player, it could pass as ordinary goofy pantomime. But Ja has a background that makes any gesture resembling a weapon get examined under a microscope.
How Morant “evolved” his celebrations
Ja has already had a stretch where he made gestures with imaginary weapons, and the league didn’t treat it as a joke but as a risk — especially given his past real-weapon scandals on social media.
The pattern looked like this:
- “Pistols” — plenty of players did it, but Morant was the one who started getting publicly slapped on the wrist for it.
- There was the episode where he and Buddy Hield “played” at aiming at each other — first came a warning.
- Then Morant did it again — and got hit with a $75,000 fine.
And that’s where he seems to have realized: okay, you need to change the props if you don’t want to pay for every burst of emotion.
The next version was the “grenade”: pull the pin, toss it, cover your ears. It looked just as expressive, but technically “not that.” And Ja even joked about it, like: this isn’t about weapons — I’m “throwing an opinion” and shielding myself from the hate.
And now — a bazooka. A new level.
Why the bazooka reads two ways right now
Even without conspiracy theories, it’s easy to see why the gesture hit harder than usual:
- The trade rumors haven’t gone anywhere.
- The game was an “away game for the entire league” — London, a showcase, cameras catch everything.
- And when Morant acts out launching a rocket, it’s easy to read it as:
- either “I’m here — this is my territory,”
- or “if this is a goodbye, it’ll be loud.”
Morant will, of course, say it’s just a new thing for the emotion. But with him it’s always like this: he makes a gesture — and the league and the public draw in the context.
For now, reality is simple and boring (which is good news for Memphis): Morant showed up, played big, and the team won.
Everything else — the house in Miami, the deadline, “stays/leaves,” and “which celebration gets banned next” — is a parallel season.
And honestly, if Ja keeps putting up games like this, his main statement won’t be the bazooka.
It’ll be the score.
