Ja Morant Appears With Toy Gun Lighter In Video Surfaced From Mid-May

Ja Morant is potentially tanking an NBA career because he can't stop waving a gun around on Instagram Live.

Now we're finding out, though, the gun might not even be real.

In a newly surfaced video from May 14, Morant shows off a fake pistol that is actually a lighter. He is seen lighting candles with the "gun" in an effort to show his family and friends that he did not have a real firearm during his fateful Instagram Live.

The 23-year-old Grizzlies superstar sent the video to his inner circle after they had questioned why he was seen brandishing a firearm yet again on social media, TMZ reported.

Morant received an initial suspension in March after flashing the gun at a strip club in Colorado. He then showed off the firearm once more on May 13 while live streaming with a friend inside of a car.

On Friday, the NBA handed down a 25-game suspension for the transgressions.

Morant apologized to his teammates, the NBA, his sponsors and fans — vowing to "be better."

"I'm spending the offseason and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making… I hope you'll give me the chance to prove to you over time I'm a better man than what I've been showing you," Morant's statement read.

He has no-doubt made some stupid decisions. But if the gun is, in fact, completely fake, it makes the situation even more mind-blowingly stupid.

Morant is due to make around $33.5 million this season. He now stands to lose just over $300,000 per game — approximately $7.5 million.

All that so you can act like a tough guy with a candle lighter.