The Greatest NBA Celebrations And Their Origins

Inside the NBA reacts to Timberwolves vs Grizzlies Highlights | April 10, 2025

Before the Grizzlies ran out of ammunition and were outscored 52-25 in the third quarter of their loss to the Timberwolves, Ja Morant threw a grenade at the crowd. Obviously, it wasn't a real grenade! Actually, according to Ja, his latest weapon celebration that Dirk and Taylor Rooks had fun with earlier in the week isn't even a grenade.

“Listen, it’s not what you think it is." Said Ja. "I’m taking my words and throwing them out there. I’m speaking Ja, being Ja, and I’m going to take my words, I’m going to throw them out there, and then I’m going to block out the noise. And that’s what I’m doing. So when you see me do that, that’s what I’m doing. I’m saying what I got to say to the world, and I’m blocking out the noise in the midst of what’s coming back my way. And that’s how it’s going to be.”

What's coming back his way is probably a message from Adam Silver and possibly another $75,000 fine, which is the amount he was fined for his "inappropriate" finger guns celebration.

After the game, the INSIDE THE NBA crew shared their thoughts on Ja.

"I know one person's happy right now," Charles Barkley said. "Taylor Jenkins ain't got to deal with this crap. He going to get another job that he deserves. I don't have to deal with this immature stuff."

"He has a history that maybe he should leave the celebrations where people might die alone," Kenny Smith said.

Recap of that history:

• Morant was suspended 25 games for waving a gun in a car during a social media video.
• He was also suspended eight games for having a gun in a club.
• In 2023, he allegedly flashed a gun and punched a 17-year-old more than a dozen times after the teen threw a basketball at him during a game at Morant's home.
• Indiana Pacers staff members believed a red dot pointed at them in a parking lot came from a laser on a gun that a friend of Morant was holding. The NBA didn't find any evidence of this in their investigation.

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

The issue isn't the celebration. It's who is doing the celebration. If most NBA players made a money gesture by rubbing their fingers together, the NBA wouldn't care. If Terry Rozier did that celebration right now, Adam Silver would give him the Jontay Porter severance package.

As Ja and the NBA figure out what imaginary weapon is acceptable for him to pull out during a game, let's look at some of the best celebrations in NBA history and whether they make sense for Ja.

WADE'S THROAT SLASH

Dwayne Wade Gives Illegal Throat Slash Against Boston Celtics | Suspension Coming

• NBA Fine: Yes - $25,000
• Technical: Yes
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say this is how you hurt someone when you run out of bullets and explosives.

Remember when Dwyane Wade played for the Chicago Bulls?

Despite averaging 18.3 points, his 60 games with his hometown team weren't that memorable. The only thing I remember is him getting fined $25K for a throat-slashing gesture after making a three against the Celtics.

"I wanna apologize to my young fans on my gesture at the end of last nights game," Said Wade via Twitter. "I was caught up in the emotions of my first game at home."

KEMP'S CROTCH GRAB

Kemp celebrations

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No (yesterday). Yes (today)
• Suitable for Ja: No

One of the most memorable dunk celebrations ever is Shawn Kemp pointing at Alton Lister. It was the definition of "taunting" and would be an automatic tech in today's NBA. In 1992, it was just another celebration with which the NBA refs had no issue.

The only Reign Man celebration the league did have an issue with was his crotch grab while swinging on the rim. After a few instances of it, Stern reportedly told him to stop.

The only fine the NBA gave Kemp in the early '90s was $1,200 for missing the first four days of training camp because of a contract holdout.

EMBIID'S DX CHOP SUCK IT

Joel Embiid FINED $75,000 for 'up yours' celly to Celtics crowd and DX Chop 😂

• NBA Fine: Yes - $35,000
• Technical: Yes
• Suitable for Ja: No

The league didn't appreciate Joel Embiid's homage to WWE wrestlers Triple H and Shawn Michaels. The DX crotch chop celebration in 2023 resulted in a $35K fine. Triple H, who has a net worth of over $250 million, was so honored that he offered to pay the fine.

As much as Joe Dumars didn't care for that celebration, it was nothing compared to the "up yours" one that ended up costing Embiid $75K a year later.

SAM'S BIG BALLS DANCE

Big Balls Dance Compilation: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Sam Cassell & More! Who Really Started it?

• NBA Fine: YES - $15,000-25,000
• Technical: YES
• Suitable for Ja: No

No celebration has caused more fines than the "Big Balls Dance." Sam Cassell made it popular in the early '00s as a member of the Bucks and Timberwolves. He got it from Dennis Haysbert's characters in the 90's sports movie MAJOR LEAGUE 2.

The league let it slide for a few years and then started fining players $15,000 to 25,000 for the celebration.

“It’s so stupid,” Cassell told The Athletic. “C’mon. It’s so stupid. It’s just so stupid to take somebody’s money for that. Like, c’mon now. It ain’t like you’re giving somebody the finger. That’s a fine."

Here are some of the players who were fined:

• Marco Bellinelli
• Andray Blatche
• Kobe Bryant
• Caron Butler
• Eddie House
• LeBron James
• Kevin Martin
• Jameer Nelson
• Josh Smith

In 2021, Kareem took a shot at LeBron (only fined $15K) for doing the celebration:

“For me, winning is enough. Why do you need to do a stupid, childish dance and disrespect the other team on the court? It doesn’t make sense. GOATs don’t dance.”

HARDEN'S NOSE BLEED

James Harden pranked his teammates with the nosebleed gesture

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: Yes!

James Harden might have the only celebration that makes you look like you are the victim of someone who should be celebrating. The funniest part about Harden pretending to have a nosebleed after dunking is that he used to have fans and announcers fooled, even though he doesn't jump that high on his dunks. It would make sense if Ja added this celebration because we have seen him routinely get his head at the rim.

The originator of this celebration is Harden's college teammate Antwi Atuahene, who also wasn't a high flyer.

HARDEN'S STIRRING THE POT

What's Cookin' with James Harden

• NBA Fine: No
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say it's drug-related.

Harden's first popular celebration was the "stir the pot." It was a common sight in Houston when The Beard was putting up some of the most ridiculous stat lines in recent memory:

• 61 PTS, 15 REB, 5 STL
• 60 PTS, 11 AST, 10 REB
• 60 PTS, 8 AST
• 58 PTS, 10 REB, 7 AST
• 53 PTS, 17 AST, 16 REB

He rarely did it after he left the Rockets but did pull out during an impressive game (39 PTS, 11 AST, 9 REB, 6 3PT) earlier this season.

SHAQ-FU

NBA Vault: Shaquille O'Neal Rookie Year Highlights

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No, the NBA will say he's going to use Kung-Fu to hurt someone.

Shaq has tried a few different celebrations but never stuck with any. My favorite was his "chicken dance," which Merton Hanks later made popular. Shaq didn't stick with it because it re-aggravated an abdominal injury that caused him to miss a few weeks.

My second favorite was his "Shaq-Fu" celebration after catching an alley-oop during his rookie season (2:00 mark in the video above).

JAMAL'S BLUE ARROW

Jamal Murray shoots E.J. Floreal with Bow & Arrow

• NBA Fine: No
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say it's still a weapon.

E.J. Floreal. That's the name of the first person Jamal Murray shot with his Blue Arrow celebration during their Kentucky days.

“It wasn’t really planned out, honestly,” Murray said. “It was just kind of like, ‘Next time I hit a shot, shoot him.’”

After getting hit by the imaginary arrow, teammate Jonny David took it out of Floreal's chest, and then Mychal Mulder used imaginary resuscitation paddles to bring him back to life.

We haven't seen the celebration much over the past couple of seasons, but it did get a memorable cameo when he received his NBA Championship ring.

DAME TIME

NBA “Dame Time” FULL COMPILATION

• NBA Fine: No
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say he's activating a bomb with his watch.

Dame's best celebration was his iconic stare into the cameras after hitting a "bad shot" against the Thunder in the 2019 Playoffs. But his trademark celebration is the "Dame time" that started back in 2014.

"It was a shot I hit against the Rockets in the playoffs. We ran the same exact play. And before the game, our coach had told us that if we won, I'd let y'all go home for Christmas. I hit the shot, and we ended up winning the game. So when I came back to the bench, everyone was like excited, and I don't know, it just came to me. I was like, 'Dame Time.'"

MUTOMBO'S FINGER WAG

Dikembe Mutombo - "Not in My House, No, no, no"

• NBA Fine: No, no, no!
• Technical: No, no, no!
• Suitable for Ja: No, no, no!

Dikembe Mutombo didn't start doing the finger wag until his 6th season in the NBA. The 4 x DPOY said he started doing it because the NBA was getting stricter on taunting and actions in the face of other players. Wagging his finger at the crowd was allowed.

Although Deke is most known for it, Derrick Coleman claimed to be the originator after he dunked on Shaquille O'neal: "I drove that b***h and banged it on his motherf****g head," Said Coleman during a hilarious appearance on the KNUCKLEHEADS PODCAST. "I hit him with the finger wag, and Dikembe stole that from me."

VINCE'S REV IT UP

Vince Carter • Crank it Up

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say he's getting ready to do a drive by shooting on a motorcycle.

Like Mutombo, Vince Carter's famous motorcycle/rev it up/crank it up celebration didn't start until the second part of his career. The celebration's origin goes back to his Nets days when he was teammates with Arthur Johnson, who was "the life of the party." After AJ was cut, Vince said he would give him a shout out by doing AJ's dance after a dunk.

Richard Jefferson also tried it but it didn't stick with him.

"It was definitely weak," said Jefferson. "I just did a little to give a shout-out to my teammate. I'm like, 'Vince we need to get back on defense.' Vince is doing it for like 8 seconds while the other team is running plays and Vince is still dancing around."

MIKAL'S CELLY

Mikal “Brooklyn” Bridges Explains His Iconic Celebration! 3️⃣ | #shorts

• NBA Fine: No
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say he's just holding a gun sideways.

Another unexpecting origin story to a celebration belongs to Mikal Bridges' 3-point celebration.

“The San Diego Padres," Bridges said. "I'm a big fan of Manny Machado. The Padres did it years ago when I was in Phoenix. They’d get an extra-base hit, point to the dugout, and turn their heads. I was watching that, watching baseball, and thought, ‘That’s something I might do.’”

CURRY'S NIGHT NIGHT

Steph Curry's Best "Night Night" Moments! 😴

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say it means he put someone to sleep.

The best celebration in the NBA right now is probably Steph Curry's "Night, Night!"

Like Deke and Vince, it's a signature celebration that wasn't around in their early years. In Steph's case, it didn't happen until 13 years into his career.

“Denver, Game 3 in 2022, "Steph said on 95.7. "I was like, ‘Nah, I got this. I’m gonna put them to sleep right now. I said that to Iguodala and just mouthed it. I didn’t do the sign or anything. And I made the layup and did the first quick ‘Night, Night,’ and it evolved from there.”

The pinnacle of that celebration happened during the Olympics, where he said, "Nuit, Nuit" to France.

DLO'S ICE IN MY VEINS

D'Angelo Russell Best "Ice In My Veins" Moments

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say he's shooting up drugs.

Lakers fans didn't have much to root for during the 2015-16 season when they won a total of 17 games. One of those wins came on a game-winner from D'Angelo Russell, who introduced the 'Ice in my veins' celebration after his clutch shot and career-high 39 points against the Nets.

"It's something my dad said growing up." Dlo said to GQ. "He always said you have to be prepared for big moments. You gotta have ice in your veins and have no feelings. You have to go out there and play your hardest and do what you do."

Russell has done the celebration many times since, including once with the Nets against the Lakers.

RUSS' ROCK THE BABY

Westbrook "rocking baby" compilation

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No, unless you stare at the player while doing it
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say he's stealing children.

The 'Rock The Baby' celebration started in OKC, where Westbrook was named MVP and averaged a triple-double in four seasons.

"I'm pretty big for my position and I would say I'm probably stronger than other guys at my position." Said Westbrook on Jimmy Fallon. "So when I have smaller guys on me, you have to treat them like babies… The guys guarding me don't love it so much. Everybody else loves it."

The funniest variation of this celebration is when he did it as a member of the Lakers and then handed the imaginary baby to teammate Patrick Beverley, who once did the celebration against Russ.

WALKER'S SHIMMY/JACKSON'S JIGGLE

Mark Jackson Inside Stuff Feature 1999

• NBA Fine: No
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: Sure

With all due respect, I'm combining Mark Jackson's jiggle and Antoine Walker's shimmy. Jackson said he started doing it to show that he was having fun on the court, and Walker began his shimmy dance in college for the same reason.

The most known instance of either goes to Antoine's shimmy after knocking down a dagger against the Detroit Pistons in the 2006 Playoffs.

MELO'S THREE TO THE DOME

Bag Work: Carmelo Anthony

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: Sure

Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony became synonymous with the three fingers to the dome celebration after a three. Most people don't know that not only was he not the first NBA player to do the celebration, but he wasn't even the first Knick to do it. His teammate, Rasheed Wallace, started it. However, like the Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson 'Rev It Up' celebration, Melo was more popular and made many more threes, so he got to show it off more. He also decided to keep doing it after he left New York.

During a recent episode of his 7PM IN BROOKLYN podcast, Melo said he's retired the celebration, so don't ask him in public to do it for you.

BUTLER'S PHONE

Hasheem Thabeet Answers Caron Butler s Phone Call after a 3 Pointer Spurs vs Thunder Game 3

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: Yes. He has a "Call Ja" celebration.

One of my favorite celebrations happened in Game 3 of the Thunder's playoff game against the Spurs in 2014. Caron Butler hit a three in the 4th quarter and pulled out his imaginary phone to call Hasheem Thabeet and Andre Roberson on the bench.

The funniest thing the 2 x All-Star ever did was he once pretended to give Jonas Valanciunas a handshake in the final seconds of a game so that he could steal the ball and dunk it. The Raptors got mad and fouled him even though they had a 27-point lead with three seconds left.

LEBRON'S SILENCER

LeBron’s Forgotten ‘Silencer’ Celebration

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No, the NBA will say he's acting like a hitman.

The Silencer.
The Crown.
The Shoulder Shrug.

LeBron has a few celebrations, but 'The Silencer' will be the one most people will remember. Mainly because the other two aren't associated with as many memorable plays.

Before we get to some of those plays, we must shout out Nick Van Exel and his 'Lower The Roof' celebration, which inspired LeBron's celebration.

Here are some of those memorable 'Silencer' moments

• 27-point comeback win vs the Cavs in 2013
• Game winner vs the Warriors in 2014
• Clutch 3 in OT vs the Pacers in 2021
• The return of 'The Silencer' after a dagger 3 vs the Pelicans in 2024
• Clutch 3 against the Celtics in 2013 gives the Heat their 23rd win in a row. This game is most known for LeBron's dunk on Jason Terry.

JET ON THE RUNWAY

Jason Terry hits a clutch three over LeBron James - BANG

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. The NBA will say he's imitating a Kamikaze pilot.

Most kids only know Jason Terry from that LeBron highlight. He wants to remind those kids that he won an NBA Championship against LeBron and scored a game-high 27 in the series' final game. There's also this moment from Game 5 that all Mavs fans will remember:

Mike Breen: "Terry, a long three...BANG!"

Mark Jackson: "Somebody please tell LeBron James the rules: hand down, man down."

Terry celebrated that moment with his "Jet wings" celebration.

STEVENSON'S CAN'T FEEL MY FACE

LeBron James and DeShawn Stevenson's 5 year beef involved Destiny's Child, Jay-Z, and Soulja Boy

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No. People will think he's copying Angel Reese.

Another 2011 NBA champion with some history with LeBron is Deshawn. "I have an ATM in my house" Stevenson. Their story/beef goes back to 2008 when he called James "overrated."

LeBron's response: "It's kind of funny. It's almost like if Jay-Z responded to Soulja Boy. It doesn't make sense to respond."

Stevenson then had Soulja Boy perform during a Wizards and Cavs Playoff series, which also featured Stevenson's "I can't feel my face" celebration.

An unfazed LeBron averaged 30/10/8, won the series, and had Jay-Z record a song that dissed Stevenson.

Stevenson did get a little payback after the 2011 NBA Finals by wearing a t-shirt that said, "Hey LeBron! How's my Dirk taste."

The last part of this story happened in 2013, when Stevenson tweeted, "Miami Heat Where I Wanna Go!!! LeBron Make it Happen."

As expected, he did not make it happen.

NOVAK'S DISCOUNT DOUBLE CHECK

The Infamous Championship Belt Celebration!

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: No

6'10" Steve Novak played 11 seasons in the NBA and never dunked. Think about that. A 6'10" player scored over 2,000 career points over a decade in the NBA and never threw down a single dunk.

Lucky for him, he made it a decade in the league because he could shoot. And when he was feeling it, he would do the belt celebration aka 'The Discount Double Check.'

Novak on the celebration's origin: "I'm playing the Dallas Mavericks. The year before they released me. I'm in my feelings a little bit. I'm going to show them. And I was feeling good. Jason Terry was guarding me and he wasn't close enough and I let it fly. Same with Jason Kidd. Then I made one on the left side of the court and remember thinking, "Uh oh, I think I gotta do the belt. I'm kind of feeling myself right now."

JR THANKS THE BASKETBALL GODS

JR Smith Hits A Jumper From Halfcourt to Beat the 3rd Quarter Buzzer

• NBA Fine: None
• Technical: No
• Suitable for Ja: YES!!!

I just realized how many players from the 2012-13 Knicks are on this list: Sheed, Melo, Novak, and JR Smith.

The 2013 6th Man Of The Year has more than his share of memorable highlights and lowlights but this amazing celebration after knocking down a logo three at the buzzer against the Bobcats is my favorite.

The pose
The Elvis windmill
The prayer to the Basketball Gods
Louis C.K and John Starks celebrating in the background

Also worth mentioning about Smith's time in New York was his "odd couple" relationship with Novak.

JR Smith and Steve Novak ... sort of, an, "Odd Couple"

WHAT ABOUT THESE CELEBRATIONS?

• Michael Jordan's shrug
• Allen Iverson's step over
• Mario Elie's kiss of death
• Reggie Miller's choke

As great and memorable as they were, I didn't include them because they were one-time instances (I know, I know. The JR Smith celebration was a one-time instance, but the Basketball Gods told me to make an exception). If you want to see them and a bunch of other mentioned and not mentioned celebrations, then enjoy this eight-minute compilation.

NBA celebrations but they get increasingly more cold