Morant changes 3-point celebration to pretend grenade toss in light of league fines and warnings

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant got in trouble again for aiming an imaginary gun to celebrate 3-pointers, so he has gone to a different make-believe violent way to mark a long-distance shot.

The Memphis Grizzlies leading scorer, who was fined $75,000 recently for mimicking pointing a long gun after a basket from outside the arc, acted like he was pulling the pin and tossing a grenade in Thursday night's 141-125 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Morant, who was 5 of 13 from 3-point range, in some cases even covered his ears after the windmill-like hurl of the invisible explosive.

"That's my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I'll find another one," Morant said after Thursday's shootaround.

The league handed down the $75,000 fine on April 4 after Morant twice made what was considered an “inappropriate” imaginary gun-aiming gesture on the court. He was previously warned by the league office that this gesture could be interpreted in a negative light.

The gestures that drew the fine were made by Morant during the Grizzlies’ 110-108 victory over the Miami Heat on April 3, but it first drew the league's attention in an April 1 home game against the Golden State Warriors.

That led to the investigation and the warning before Morant did it again against Miami.

The fine was the culmination of several questionable incidents involving firearms. Morant was suspended for 25 games at the start of the 2023-24 season after he was seen on video waving a gun in a car. He previously was suspended eight games after he was seen with a gun in a Denver-area nightspot.

“I wasn't surprised,” Morant said of the latest fine, “just for showing people what's pretty much been evident for the last two years.”

Teammate Vince Williams Jr. wasn't really surprised by the change in celebration, adding “I would have went to that too.”

“It's good for him,” Williams said. “He gets to save his money. Anything that benefits him saving his money, I'm all for it, honestly.”

But the grenade celebration drew criticism from the TNT studio crew on Thursday night. Kenny Smith noted that Morant “has a history that maybe he shouldn't be doing that.”

Shaquille O'Neal added: “He knows what he's doing because y'all are going to keep talking about it.”

As for Charles Barkley, he said the happiest person may be former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, fired March 28 because “he ain't got to deal with this immature stuff.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, front right, drives ahead of Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, back right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) handles the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Memphis Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo, left, talks with guard Ja Morant, right, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)