Ja Morant needs more than “grenades” to beat Anthony Edwards, says former NBA champ

Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins took a shot at Ja Morant’s grenade celebration after the Memphis Grizzlies’ brutal defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. Anthony Edwards had dropped a 40-burger well before the end of the game, and that had Perkins giving it back to the Grizzlies guard.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Perkins wrote:

“Ja gonna need more than grenades to slow down Anthony Edwards right now”

Ja Morant’s celebrations have been in the spotlight, but on Thursday, it was an Anthony Edwards show as the T-Wolves superstar exploded for points at the FedEx Forum. The loss puts the Grizzlies in a tough spot as they slip to 47-33 in the stacked West.

Ja Morant brings out grenade celebrations after warning over controversial gun celebration earlier

Days after being fined $75,000 for repeatedly using a finger-gun celebration, Ja Morant debuted a new celebration earlier this week that could once again see him in soup with the NBA head honchos.

During the team’s comprehensive 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets, the guard mimicked throwing a grenade into the crowd after hitting a 3-pointer. After hitting the shot, he made an action where he pulled out the grenade’s pin and threw the imaginary explosive into the crowd. He followed it up by covering his ears to shield from the mock blast.

The celebration continued against Minnesota, and soon after he bought the machine gun celly again during the game — the clip of which went viral on X (formerly Twitter).

The gun celebration will now garner more flak after the All-Star guard was suspended twice in 2023 for flashing guns in two separate incidents. While he did explain the logic behind the move, the NBA might not take too kindly to his newest celebrations.

Only time will tell if the league takes stern action after the fine for Ja Morant crossing the warning line.

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Aharon Abhishek is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda, bringing 9 years of rich reporting experience to his role. With a Master’s degree in Journalism, Aharon’s passion for basketball dates back to 2008 when he began following the NBA closely. He specializes in stat-based pieces and athlete profiles, and is a firm believer of conducting thorough research to craft compelling content.

A fan of the Lakers and Bulls for their legacy and rich history, Aharon admires the competitive nature of basketball and how only a few seconds decide any game. He highly regards Kobe Bryant and LeBron James for their prowess on the court.

Phil Jackson stands out as Aharon’s favorite basketball coach, revered for his astute understanding of the game. For him, Michael Jordan’s final shot of his legendary career stands out as his favorite basketball moment of all time.

When not catching up with basketball, Aharon enjoys playing Cricket, reading and exploring different types of coffee.

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Edited by Aharon Abhishek