Desmond Bane found himself in some hot water with NBA fans on Wednesday night for a viral celebration.
The Memphis Grizzlies guard hit a three-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers en route to a win – which made Philly 2-12 to start the season.
But, after the three, Bane taunted Sixers’ Caleb Martin by appearing to use his arms as a gun and pretend to shoot Martin.
Desmond Bane of the Grizzlies moves the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 20, 2024, at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Grant Burke/NBAE via Getty Images)
Bane extended his right arm in the direction of Martin and then pulled it back in a 90-degree angle.
Bane, of course, is teammates with Ja Morant, who served two separate suspensions from gun-related incidents last year and found himself in legal trouble due to a fight at his house.
Because Bane and Morant share the floor together, social media was quick to crack jokes.
“Ja Morant approved cell,” wrote one user.
“Learning from his teammate,” said another.
Added one more, “Ja took him to the range.”
Ja Morant and Desmond Bane of the Grizzlies after the game against the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 2, 2024, at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Early in 2023, Morant was seen brandishing a gun in a Denver nightclub, which landed him an eight-game suspension. Months later, he repeated the offense, and he was sidelined for 25 games.
In July 2022, Morant got into an altercation with some 17-year-olds, but a judge ruled he acted in self-defense. Four days earlier, Morant had allegedly “threatened” the head of security at a Memphis mall, and a member of Morant’s group allegedly shoved him in the head.
In the 2022-23 season, the Indiana Pacers claimed that after an altercation between associates of Morant and the Pacers, a red laser was pointed at the team from an SUV that was carrying Morant, which the Pacers believed was a gun. The NBA investigated the incident and found that no “individual threatened others with a weapon.”
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant handles the ball during the Portland Trail Blazers game, April 4, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Morant is back this season after playing in just nine games last year – he had suffered a season-ending shoulder injury just weeks after coming back from his second suspension.
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