NBA fines Grizzlies star Ja Morant $35,000 for ‘inappropriate language’ toward referee

The NBA announced Saturday afternoon that Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has been fined $35,000 for “directing inappropriate language toward a game official” and for not leaving the court soon enough when he was ejected from the Grizzlies 109-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday (Nov. 30). 

Morant was given a technical and then ejected with 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter. Following the ejection, Morant went and dapped up Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards who was shooting technical free throws, as well as several Memphis players before exiting the court. 

You can tell by Morant’s reaction that he wasn’t expecting the ejection, as he smiled, laughed and clapped before leaving the court. But whatever Morant said to the official, he clearly deemed it was enough to toss him from the game. However, after the game, Morant posted his reaction to getting ejected on Instagram, implying that referees have “too much power,” and “you get ejected nowadays for telling a mf the same thing they told you.” It’s unclear what he means by that, but obviously he feels like his ejection wasn’t warranted.

Morant wasn’t the only Memphis player ejected from the game, either. Seconds prior to his technical, Dillon Brooks was also sent to the locker room following a conversation he had with referees about a foul he had on Edwards. It was a rough ending of a disappointing loss for a Grizzlies team that dropped a game to the Wolves who were without Karl-Anthony Towns.