The Memphis Grizzlies may not have an NBA Championship yet but they do have one of the biggest names in American sports in Ja Morant.
Morant had an up-and-down season in 2020-21 but finished strong by averaging a new franchise-high in scoring in the NBA Playoffs. In fact, simply calling it a franchise-high playoff scoring average doesn’t do it justice — the 21-year old crushed the old record by almost double-digits. He scored 30.2 points per game in the playoffs.
Morant averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 assists during the regular season, improving his totals in both categories from last season. Had his 3-point shot been accurate all season long, he likely would have had a stronger scoring year.
Even so, in just two seasons, Morant has already established himself as the biggest part of this team’s young core one of the best Memphis Grizzlies basketball players of all time — a feat that doesn’t come easy.
August 10th is now officially considered “Ja Morant Day” in the state of South Carolina
After Morant’s rookie season, the state of South Carolina, where he was raised, decided to officially move forward in naming August 10th “Ja Morant Day.” They did this in honor of him winning rookie of the year, choosing August 10th because that is his birthday.
https://twitter.com/jamorant/status/1425125722465525765?s=21
Morant was born and raised in South Carolina, where he attended Crestwood High School as a completely unknown college prospect. He was not ranked by any significant recruiting services and didn’t hold any offers until a college recruiter accidentally stumbled upon him playing 3-on-3 in an open gym. The Murray State recruiter was there to scout one of Morant’s teammates and left with Morant, who would become arguably the best Murray State basketball player of all time.
Morant was underrated in large part due to his height. In his first year of varsity basketball, he stood at just 5-foot-9, growing each season. Strangely, Morant couldn’t even dunk a basketball until he was a senior in high school. He wouldn’t reach his current height of 6-3 until his time at Murray State, which is why he exploded onto the scene so rapidly. Even so, he became his high school’s leading scorer and one of the best South Carolina hoopers ever.
Fast forward to today and the state of South Carolina now recognizes today, August 10th, as “Ja Morant Day.” Hopefully, Morant will continue to turn heads after a strong second season in the NBA.
Happy Ja Morant Day.