Things aren’t exactly going smoothly for the Grizzlies right now. If you’ve been keeping tabs, you’ve probably noticed—they’ve hit a wall. Seven losses in their last ten? That’s not the kind of stretch you want this late in the season. Now here’s the kicker: they finally pulled off a win Thursday night against the Heat—barely. Ja Morant bailed them out at the buzzer.
Now here’s where things get tight. The Grizzlies came into Saturday clinging to the No. 8 seed. But check this out—they’ve got the exact same record as the Clippers and Wolves. You’d think it’d be a three-way battle, right? Not quite. LA’s on a four-game heater, and Minnesota’s won three straight. Meanwhile, Memphis is just trying to stay upright.
And against the Pistons, Morant was listed as a starter, and the next? Boom—he’s questionable with some mystery illness. No heads-up, no details, just a quiet X post from the Grizzlies that had fans scratching their heads. A short while later, the team pulled the plug completely and ruled him out.
Status Update:
Ja Morant (Illness) is out tonight at Detroit. https://t.co/AvPzA0QZXP
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) April 5, 2025
Honestly, this whole week’s been wild for Ja. You’ve probably seen the clips—he’s been hit with a warning and a fine for flashing those finger gun celebrations. The NBA clearly wasn’t amused. The 2x All-Star got slapped with a $75K fine by the NBA, and honestly, it didn’t come out of nowhere. The league had already told him to chill with the finger-gun celebration. And instead of backing off, he did it again—literally just hours after being warned.
The NBA wasn’t subtle about the reason either. In their words, that gesture “could be interpreted in a negative light.” They’d already made that crystal clear earlier in the week after Morant and the Warriors’ Buddy Hield both pulled the move during their game on Tuesday. A source even said both teams were specifically told to cut it out. No gray area here.
Now, if you’ve followed Ja’s journey, you know this isn’t just about one gesture. The league’s keeping a close eye on him—and for good reason. Last March, he got an eight-game suspension for flashing a gun on Instagram Live at a gentlemen’s club. Then he missed the first 25 games this season because of another IG Live incident—this time showing off a handgun in a car.
This is a developing story…
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