The Memphis Grizzlies do not have the largest brand in the NBA. In fact, as one of the youngest franchises in the league in a relatively small market, the team has one of the smaller audiences in the league.
This was exemplified at the start of the rebuild immediately following the departure of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, a time when the team was not competitive and there were no star players to draw in an audience.
Now, the Grizzlies have clawed their way back into the competition, earning a spot in the NBA Playoffs last season despite being one of the youngest teams in the league. But it isn’t the Grizzlies’ competitiveness that keeps viewers’ eyes glued to the screen.
Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant draws a large audience every night
The Grizzlies have a handful of exciting young players on the roster. That said, one player stands above the rest.
That player is Ja Morant.
Morant is one of the league’s most entertaining players, with the flashy play ability of Jason Williams and the explosive athleticism of Russell Westbrook. You can try and draw comparisons between Morant and past players, but he is a one-of-a-kind NBA basketball player.
And that’s exactly what continues to draw an audience into Grizzlies games. Morant alone has built up such a large audience that he is already among the league’s best-selling jerseys. Here is a full list.
.@memgrizz G @JaMorant comes in at #14 in jersey sales for the 2nd half of the NBA season. pic.twitter.com/fyfVSqgo0e
— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) July 14, 2021
At just 21 years old, Morant finds his name next to bonafide NBA stars like Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard. The young Grizzy will look to coninue to rise up these rankings, as he has a lot of basketball left to play in his career.
This year, Morant finished with the 14th-highest selling jersey in the league for the second half of the season.
This likely happened as a result of a strong finish by Morant, who averaged a new Memphis Grizzlies franchise playoff career high in single-game scoring and points per game. Morant scored 47 points in a single game and finished his first series with an average of 30.2 points per contest.
Next season, Morant will make a push for the NBA All-Star game, which would help his jersey sales take the next jump. This offseason should be big for the former Murray State guard.