Ja Morant hooks up young Golden State Warriors fans with autographs and swag
Remember back in January when Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant had an in-game encounter that went viral in which he denied some young Steph Curry fans fist bumps while playing at home in the FedEx Forum?
Morant had just made a spectacular play against the Golden State Warriors and his momentum carried him a few feet into the crowd.
Some very young kids dressed in full Golden State Warriors gear extended their tiny little arms out, wishing for a quick embrace of Morant.
The kids were denied and given a stern stare down that lit-up the internet.
https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1481140829406306306?s=20&t=wJ_Pec7wqoE1dcn4NyYi8A
After that January game, Morant joked that there was no chance he was fist bumping or high-fiving the young kids who were clearly at the Grizzlies home game to cheer for Steph Curry and the Warriors.
He called the move disrespectful, but said if someone could get the fans’ contact information he would hook them up if they traded in their Curry gear for Grizzlies gear.
The move inspired the Memphis Grizzlies to host a jersey trade-in soon thereafter. They allowed kids to bring an opposing team’s jersey in to swap it out for a Ja Morant or Jaren Jackson jersey.
Well, that story got a nice epilogue during the team’s March 28 home meeting against Golden State.
Before the game started, the Grizzlies pushed out some video content of Ja Morant bringing out a clear bag from the team store with a few kids-sized Ja Morant jerseys.
The young kids are the same crew that got spurned by Morant during the January home game between these two teams.
Now, the young fans were seen sporting Grizzlies hats, shirts, shorts and carrying Grizz-themed basketballs.
a man of this word 〽️ https://t.co/K5FZZOvcD7 pic.twitter.com/0fWdgAXnpA
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 28, 2022
It was an epic gesture by Morant to come by and hand-deliver some swag. He even took a few moments to autograph whatever they wanted.
As it’s been throughout the entire season, Ja Morant has been converted casual and longtime fans alike, expanding the tent of the small-market Memphis Grizzlies.
Welcome to Grind City, fellas. You’re going to enjoy the Ja Morant show in Memphis for a long, long time.