(Reuters) – Memphis guard Ja Morant risked further action from the NBA after making a shooting gesture with his finger during Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat despite being warned earlier in the week to refrain from the “inappropriate” celebration.
The league had launched an investigation after Morant extended his left arm and used his finger to pull an imaginary trigger to taunt members of the Golden State Warriors during a game on Tuesday.
The NBA issued a warning to Morant and Golden State’s Buddy Hield on Thursday after it determined their “finger gun” gestures were not intended to be violent in nature but were inappropriate and should not be repeated, ESPN reported.
The warnings were also issued to both teams.
Morant, 25, has been suspended twice by the league for showing a handgun on social media.
The two-time All Star was banned for eight games without pay in March 2023 for brandishing a firearm in an Instagram Live video.
Morant was also hit with a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 season after a video of him posing with a firearm surfaced online.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, Additional reporting by Field Level Media; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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