Unacceptable Behavior

Ja Morant’s History of Violent Gestures

Photo by All-Pro Reels / CC BY-SA 2.0

Ja Morant has been one of the NBA’s faces of the league, inspiring the youth and transforming the game of basketball. Morant, drafted in 2019, has made an immediate impact in the league on and off the court. On the hardwood, he has put up video game numbers, showcasing his scoring ability to the entire world and becoming a star player. However, off the court, Morant’s careless attitude and inability to learn from his mistakes have caused severe issues with the NBA. 

Millions of kids look up to Morant, viewing him as one of the best pure scorers in today’s game. Just like every star athlete, the youth strives to be like them, replicating their moves and buying their merchandise. But with Morant’s violent gestures over the last couple of years, his impact has quickly turned from positive to negative.

Morant’s first violent gesture came in March 2023 when he displayed a firearm while on Instagram Live. This breach of the NBA rulebook led Morant to be suspended for eight games. While he apologized and took full responsibility for his actions, Morant did not act upon his words.

Only two months later, in May 2023, another video surfaced on social media showing Morant holding a handgun while in a friend’s car. The NBA, already having given a suspension for one infraction, did not take this lightly, suspending him for 25 games. This suspension is the one of the longest in NBA history and rightfully so. Morant quickly turned himself from a likeable all star to a questionable person, which millions of fans could not support.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said.

Almost two years later, in April 2025, the NBA issued a warning to Morant after he mimicked shooting a gun. However, the warning didn’t bother him; two days after the warning, Morant used the same celebration during a game. While most fans believed he would apologize, again, he did not, stating that he has already been the villain for two years and does not care what others think any more. However, the NBA and its fans do certainly care about his actions as Morant. He is under scrutiny, and fans have criticized Morant and his inability to learn from his mistakes. With Morant continuing to show his violent behavior, fans want the NBA to put their foot down unless Morant shows signs of change.