Ja Morant

At 24 years old, Ja Morant has this physical status:

Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant (born August 10, 1999) is an American basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He played basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019.

He was selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Tee Morant, a South Carolina native and son of former basketball player, was only marginally recruited by NCAA Division I clubs and unranked by recruiting services, despite being named All-Region Most Valuable Player three times and earning All-State awards at Crestwood High and School in Sumter, South Carolina.

However, as a freshman, Murray State made an immediate impact, winning first-team all-conference recognition in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

Morant had a breakout sophomore season, winning OVC Player of the Year and leading the NCAA in assists.

He was also the first college player to have averaging of at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in a single season as a sophomore.

In the 2019 NBA Draft, he was the second overall pick of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Personal life

Teniya, Morant's younger brother, grew up playing basketball with him in their backyard and now competes for Hillcrest Middle School in Dalzell. He has the phrase "beneath no one," an instruction his mother gave him, tattooed on his left arm. Lil Baby, rapper Morant's favorite artist, is his pet. Russell Westbrook, who Morant said is his favorite player because Westbrook is often overlooked, just as he was by college recruiters in high school, is often compared to him.

Morant had a daughter who was born in 2019.

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Early life and high school career

Morant was born in Dalzell, South Carolina, to Tee and Jamie Morant. His mother, a high school teammate of Ray Allen, was a point guard in high school and a softball player in college, while his father was a high school teammate and played basketball for Claflin University. Tee considered playing abroad after playing semi-professionally. However, when Jamie became pregnant with Ja, he gave up basketball and stayed at home, instead becoming a barber.

Morant rode in his backyard with his dad, who showed him step-back jump shots and bought tractor tires for him to practice jumping with a soft landing. He often fought older peers in his youth, telling his mother, "I'm not worried about the big kids." Morant competed with the South Carolina Hornets, a small grassroots group headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit. He was a member of Zion Williamson, who became one of the best players in his class for one season.

Morant attended Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. In his first three years with the team, he went from 5 ft (9.75 m) to 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m). Morant finished as the country's top scorer with 1,679 points, and secured a career-high 47 points against Sumter High School. He averaged 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in his two seasons at Crestwood, earning South Carolina Class 3A All-State recognition both years. Morant graduated from high school as a three-time All-Region Most Valuable Player (MVP). He could not dunk before he was a senior.

Morant was not ranked by recruiting firms such as ESPN, 247Sports, or Rivals. South Carolina was his only good big NCAA Division I bid. In July 2016, assistant coach James Kane arrived at a camp in the hopes of finding a player who was going to join his team. Kane noticed Morant playing a three-on-three game in an auxiliary gym, and was ecstatic that Morant received a scholarship. Morant said at McMahon's house on September 3, 2016, and that he would play for Murray State at dinner. "Every parent wants their child to participate in a big-time sport, but what I found was, don't go where you want to be, go to where they want to be." Duquesne, Maryland Eastern Shore, South Carolina State, and Wofford were among his other Division I offers.

College career

Morant made his debut for Murray State on November 10, 2017 with 7 points and a team-high 11 assists in a 118-61 victory over Brescia University of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). In a 69–55 loss to Saint Louis, he achieved his first double-double in his career, with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. In an 80-52 victory over Eastern Illinois, he scored 11 points, ten rebounds, and 14 assists in his first triple-double on December 28, netting 11 points, ten rebounds, and 14 assists. It was the second triple-double in school history, the first since Isacc Miles in 1984, and it also set the most assists at a CFSB Center game, beating the old record of 12 against Alabama State in 1999. Morant also had the third most assists in a single game by a Murray State player. He scored a season-high 23 points against Southeast Missouri State on February 1, 2018. Morant, who was averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, received his first-team All-OVC with his colleagues Jonathan Stark and Terrell Miller, as well as OVC All-Newcomer Team awards, after averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. His 6.3 assists per game averaged 14th in the country during his freshman season. With shooting at least 42 percent from the field, he became the seventh freshman in 25 years to have 150 assists, 150 rebounds, and 10 blocks. After winning the OVC Championship in a 68–51 victory over Belmont, Morant and Murray State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for his freshman season. In that game, Morant had 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Murray State would lose in its first round match to West Virginia, but the game was 86-68, despite Morant's 14 points.

Ja Morant's sophomore season in 2018 was the first time he was on the radar of any scouts. Morant described him as one of 20 players admitted to Chris Paul's Elite Guard Camp, which Morant described as "an honor." Morant played a key role for Murray State as his sophomore season began, starting with the departures of main players Jonathan Stark and Terrell Miller. In a 74-53 victory over Wright State, he had 26 points and 11 assists on his debut in his season. Morant scored 29 points, a season-high 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 77–66 victory over Missouri State on November 24, 2018, becoming the first Murray State player to ever record multiple triple-doubles. In a 78-72 loss to Alabama, he scored his season-high 38 points, the 12th-most single-game points by a player in school history. Morant was almost unanimously selected as a top-five pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and at least one outlet forecasted him as the first overall pick in late January 2019. "He seems almost certain to be the first top-ten pick from a mid-major school in five years," Pat Forde, a Los Angeles-based writer, wrote at that time, and it may be the first true mid-major pick in the top five since Michael Olowokandi of Pacific went No. 1. "Italian" was the first to start in 1998.

Morant was named on the John R. Wooden Award's mid-season top ten watch list on January 10, 2019. With 18 points against UT Martin, he tied for most assists in a single game on the same day, while scoring 26 points against UT Martin. In a victory over SIU Edwardsville, he set a new scoring record high nine days later on January 19, scoring 40 points, 11 assists, and 5 steals, shooting 21-of-21 from the free throw line. He set the OVC record for the most straight throws in a game, and he became Murray State's tenth player to score in a 40-point game. Morant was also the first NCAA Division I male's player to play in 20 years to record at least 40 points, 10 assists, and 5 steals in a single game. Morant won 67–63 over Tennessee Tech on February 2nd, with 28 points and 7 assists. In the 1996-97 season, he tied for the most school single-season assist record of 212, which was set by Chad Townsend. Morant became the 46th Murray State player with 1,000 career points and tied for the first time by Middle Tennessee's Duane Washington of Middle Tennessee, after scoring 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 102-70 victory over Eastern Kentucky.

He was named OVC Player of the Year and first-team All-OVC at the end of the regular season, as well as leading the NCAA Division I in assists. He later received first-team All-American recognition from the United States Basketball Writers Association and second-team All-American awards from Sporting News. Morant scored 29 points against Jacksonville State in the OVC tournament semifinals on March 8, including a game-winning three-point play. In a 77-65 victory over the Belmont Bruins, who were missing injured first team All-OVC center Nick Muszynski for the OVC Tournament title, he scored 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Morant was later named tournament MVP. Morant won by 83–64 over fifth-seeded Marquette in the first round of the 2019 NCAA tournament, with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists on March 21, a 83–64 victory over eight people. He became the eighth player to record a triple-double in the tournament's history, as the first player since Draymond Green in 2012. In a season-ending 90-72 loss to fourth-seeded Florida State, he chipped in 28 points in the second round. Morant set school records for career assists and single-season points during the game. He ended his sophomore campaign with 24.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Morant was the first NCAA player to score at least 20 points and ten assists per game in a single season.

Morant revealed that he foregoing his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft following Murray State's loss in the 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Professional career

The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Morant second overall in the 2019 NBA draft. He signed a four-year deal with the Grizzlies worth $39.6 million on July 2, 2019. Morant made his NBA debut on October 23, 2019, scoring 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal, and a block in a 102–120 loss to the Miami Heat. In a 117-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, he achieved his first double-double with 23 points and 11 assists and scored a game-winning layoff. In a 106–99 victory over the Washington Wizards, he earned his first triple-double in his career. Morant was chosen to the Rising Stars Game in the 2019-20 season. Morant led all rookies in assists with an average of 7.1 assists per game, as well as total points scored, with 1,138 (17.8 points per game). He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and was given the NBA All-Rookie First Team award at the end of the season.

In a 131–119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on December 23, 2020, Morant scored his first career-high 44 points, as well as nine assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

Morant led Memphis to a 117–112 victory over the Golden State Warriors on May 21, 2021, with the eighth and final playoff position on the line. He made his NBA debut two days later, scoring 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game 1 to the Grizzlies' 112–109 victory over the top-seeded Utah Jazz. In Game 2, Morant carried that up with 47 points and 7 assists, but Memphis fell short, 141-129. The Grizzlies were killed in five games, ending the series in five games.

Morant scored 37 points and six assists in a 132-121 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 20, 2021, in the Grizzlies' season opener. In a 121-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on October 24, he scored 40 points while giving out ten assists. Morant defeated Memphis 99–99 over the Lakers on December 29, scoring a season-high 41 points behind a career-high six made three-pointers.

Morant was averaging 41 points, with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals in a 118-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on January 26. Morant had his season-high 41 points, as well as 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Morant was named as a West Starter in his first All-Star Game on January 27, 2001. Morant's fourth triple-double in a 119-109 victory over the Utah Jazz returned 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Morant tied his career high with 44 points, including a career high 20 points in the first quarter, and threw away 11 points in a 123-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on February 16, with 44 points on Friday, including a career high 20 points in the first quarter. Morant scored a career-high 46 points in a 116-110 victory over the Chicago Bulls on February 26, which was his first appearance in a game over the Chicago Bulls. The figure was the most points in a game by a Grizzlies player, beating Mike Miller's record set in February 2007. In a 118-105 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Morant beat the San Antonio Spurs by scoring a career-high 52 points on an efficient 22-of-30 shooting, including 4-4 from outside the arc. He tweaked his right knee against the Atlanta Hawks on March 18, missing nine games. Morant led the Grizzlies to their first Southwest Division title in franchise history. Memphis also tied for the most games in the franchise, with 56 victories. Despite missing 25 games during the regular season, he was named the champion of the NBA Most Improved Player Award.

Morant won by 104-95 over the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 21, 2022, in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs. It was the first postseason double-double in Grizzlies franchise history. Morant won by 111-109 after scoring with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists in Game 5's game-winning layup. In the fourth quarter, he scored 18 of his 30 points. Morant defeated the Golden State Warriors 106-101 on May 3 in Game 2 of the second round of the playoffs. Morant posted a career-high 47 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals. He scored the last 15 points for Memphis and was also the third player in NBA playoffs history to play more than 50 games before turning 23 years old, joining Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Morant suffered his right knee in game 3 of the series on May 7, and Memphis would lose in six games. He averaged 38.3 points per game on 56.6 percent/85.7% shooting splits in the three games he played.

Morant signed a five-year contract with the Grizzlies on July 6, 2022. The agreement brings $193 million in guaranteed funds, up to $231 million if he is selected to an All-NBA team. Morant won 129-122 over the Houston Rockets on October 21, in the second game of the season. During the first two games of a season (83), he set the Memphis franchise record for most points scored.

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