by Sam Amick, Tess DeMeyer and James Jackson
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, Golden State Warriors guard Buddy Hield and their respective teams received warnings from the NBA on Thursday after the players engaged in a verbal altercation that included hand gestures resembling guns during a game Tuesday.
The league told both teams the gestures were inappropriate and instructed them to stop using them, a league source said. The argument from the teams’ side, the source said, was that the gestures were not intended to be violent.
Ja Morant appeared to make a gun gesture at the Warriors’ bench late in the game 🤨 pic.twitter.com/fTvFA0wpit
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 2, 2025
The NBA launched an investigation into the incident after Morant made gun gestures throughout Tuesday’s game in apparent celebration of hitting five 3-pointers. He pointed either toward the nearest defender or his father, Tee Morant, on the sideline.
Later in the game, Hield appeared to return Morant’s gesture in a taunting fashion as the teams split for a timeout. Morant saw Hield and made the gesture back toward the Warriors bench as the sides got in a verbal tiff. Morant eventually broke for his huddle, calling Hield a “dumbass” as he turned away, and officials issued Morant and Hield technical fouls.
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The Warriors went on to win 134-125. Neither player has directly addressed the interaction, but Morant appeared to respond on X, posting, “ja this .. ja that ..” with a crying-laughing emoji Wednesday.
During the Grizzlies’ shootaround on Thursday, forward Desmond Bane, who is in his fifth season as Morant’s teammate, was honest about his feelings toward the latter’s latest investigation — big or small — by the NBA, which doesn’t have explicit rules against gun-related gestures.
“I thought it was some B.S.,” Bane told The Athletic. “I think there’s a bunch of players across the league that have adopted that 3-point celebration in games. And for him to be the one targeted, I don’t think it’s warranted or fair.”
When asked about whether Morant is targeted by the league in other ways, Bane explained his observations on believing his teammate is not drawing fouls at the same rate as previous years. This season, according to NBA.com, Morant has attempted a team-high 767 drives, more than the likes of Tyrese Haliburton (747), Austin Reaves (717), Jayson Tatum (689) and DeMar DeRozan, who each played at least 20 more games than Morant this season.
Despite remaining one the league’s most aggressive rim attackers, Morant’s 6.5 free-throw attempts per game are on pace for his lowest single-season average since 2020-21, the season before he earned his first career All-Star selection and won Most Improved Player honors. With that being said, his attempts this season have increased from 6.1 prior to the All-Star break to 7.3 in 14 games since.
“For sure,” Bane said. “I mean, earlier in the year, I think with the whistle, he wasn’t really getting calls he got in the past. He missed a lot of last season, but he’s obviously a superstar in this league. He wasn’t being treated as such, especially earlier in the season.”
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In the grand scheme, Morant’s situation is just the latest development in what has been a trying stretch in recent months for Memphis. Since a 125-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 8, the Grizzlies are only 9-16, rank 21st among all teams in net rating (minus 2.0) and sit 23rd in the league in defense. Their offense has been middle-of-the-pack in that span (16th), but it wasn’t potent enough for the recently fired Taylor Jenkins to remain as head coach. First-year Memphis assistant Tuomas Iisalo was tabbed as the interim head coach with the Grizzlies preparing for their fourth consecutive playoff appearance.
Despite the team’s turbulence, Bane remains optimistic Memphis can find its footing and finish the regular season strong. He also acknowledges the challenge of the team moving on from Jenkins, whose 250 wins as Grizzlies coach mark a team record, with the postseason so close.
On Thursday, the Grizzlies will face the Miami Heat (35-41, season-high straight wins). Memphis enters that matchup with a 44-32 record and sits eighth in the West. The Grizzlies’ record is tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves (sixth in West) and LA Clippers (seventh), but tiebreakers leave them currently fighting to avoid Play-In territory.
But Bane is among those on Memphis’ roster ready to drown out the noise and push forward.
“It’s getting better. It’s been an adjustment,” Bane said. “For a lot of us, that was the only coach we ever played for. So, we had to move past it quickly and flip the page. … We’re in a great spot. We know that we have a good team, a good foundation. We’re gonna try to string some wins together. That always helps everything”
(Photo: Wes Hale / Getty Images)
