Ja Morant grenade celebration goes worldwide as Burnley’s Hannibal Mejri copies it

Ja Morant doing a grenade celebration after being banned from doing gun celebrations has inspired other sportspersons to use it.

Ja Morant grenade celebration goes worldwide as Burnley’s Hannibal Mejri copies it

Ja Morant, Hannibal Mejbri (Images via Instagram)

Ja Morant is no stranger to controversy, having inadvertently courted it over the past three seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. The franchise player has often been singled out for special treatment by the league, for reasons some would consider frivolous. This hasn’t stopped Morant from expressing himself as and how he sees fit. The modern NBA celebrates individuality more than ever before, and Morant capitalizes on it.

The 25-year-old recently caused uproar when he and Buddy Hield exchanged rifle shooting gestures with each other during a game. Despite an official warning from the league, Morant did the same gesture in the Grizzlies’ very next game. The two-time All-Star was pulled up with a $75,000 fine for his troubles. However, this hasn’t deterred Morant from uncorking yet another controversial celebration.

YouTube video

After rattling off a 3-pointer in a Hornets defender’s face, Morant turned to the crowd and seemed to mimic the action of pulling a pin on a grenade and throwing it into the stands before cupping his ears. When asked post-game about what the celebration signifies, Morant, however, had a different explanation to give.

Listen, it’s not what you think it is. I’m taking my words, and I’m throwing them out there. I’m speaking Ja. I’m being Ja. I’m going to take my words, I’m going to throw them out there, and then I’m going to block out the noise. And that’s what I’m doing. So when you see me do that, that’s what I’m doing. I’m saying what I got to say to the world, and I’m blocking out the noise in the midst of what’s coming back my way. And that’s how it’s going to be.

Ja Morant on his new celebration

Morant’s actions have drawn ridicule from NBA analysts, including the Inside the NBA panel. However, he’s also had some people start to copy his celebration, which does look quite cool. Former NBA rival Kendrick Nunn was one of those to do it recently. It seems that Burnley attacker Hannibal Mejbri has also joined these ranks. After scoring early for his team in a 2-1 win, Mejbri did a similar celebration to Morant’s.

Even top high school basketball prospect AJ Dybantsa seemed to copy his celebration at the Nike Hoop Summit this weekend.

It is clear that Morant supports these celebrations – after all, the Grizzlies superstar retweeted videos of each of these acts.

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff path is extremely tough

The Grizzlies are likely to finish the regular season as the eighth seeds after spending significant chunks of the year as top-2, top-3 seeds. This late-season slide has a lot to do with the firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins. It also has something to do with Morant missing a couple of weeks due to injury troubles.

Nonetheless, squandering a golden opportunity to snag homecourt advantage would weigh heavily on this team. Interim coach Tuomas Lisalo has changed the Grizzlies offense to start incorporating more screening actions since taking over. This has led to Morant being more effective, with the results showing in his marginally improved stats.

Yet, if the Grizzlies stay as the eight seeds after the play-in tournament finishes, they will be running into the buzzsaw that is the OKC Thunder. Having gotten into a rebuilding process the same year that Morant led the Grizzlies back to the playoffs, OKC looks like the better team. Not only are they 67-14 on the year, they also have one of the deepest teams in the 21st century NBA.