Temetrius Jamel “Ja” Moran born August 10, 1999 is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association . He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019.
Ja Morant: Facts
- Born : August 10, 1999 ,Dalzell, South Carolina, U.S.
- Position: Point guard
League: NBA - Listed height 6 ft 2 in ,1.88 m
- Listed weight 188.2 lb ,85 kg
- High school, Crestwood Sumter, South Carolina
- present: Memphis Grizzlies
Ja Morant:Early life and high school career
Morant was born in Dalzell, South Carolina, to Tee and Jamie Morant. His mother, Jamie, was a point guard in high school and a softball player in college, while his father was a high school teammate of Ray Allen and played basketball for Claflin University. After playing semi-professionally, Tee considered playing professional basketball overseas,but when Jamie became pregnant with Ja, he abandoned his basketball career and stayed at home becoming a barber instead.
Morant trained in his backyard with his father, Tee Morant, who taught him step-back jump shots and bought tractor tires for him to practice jumping with a soft landing. In his childhood, he often faced older opponents, telling his mother, “I’m not worried about the big kids.”Morant played in the Amateur Athletic Union circuit with the South Carolina Hornets, a small grassroots team based in Columbia, South Carolina. For one season, he was teammates with Zion Williamson, who became one of the top players in his class.
Ja Morant:Recruiting
Morant was not ranked by recruiting services ESPN, 247Sports, or Rivals. His only high major NCAA Division I offer came from South Carolina. He was accidentally discovered by mid-major program Murray State of the OVC in July 2016, when assistant coach James Kane attended a camp hoping to see a player who was joining his team. While looking for a snack, Kane noticed Morant playing a three-on-three game in an auxiliary gym; impressed, he contacted head coach Matt McMahon, who soon offered Morant a scholarship. On September 3, 2016, Morant committed to playing for Murray State during dinner at McMahon’s house. His father said, “Every parent wants their child to play at a big-time program, but what I realized is, don’t go where you want to be, go to where they want you His other Division I offers included Duquesne, Maryland Eastern Shore, South Carolina State, and Wofford
Ja Morant:College career
On November 10, 2017, Morant debuted for Murray State 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).he recorded his first career double-double on December 12, 2017, with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists in a 69–55 loss to Saint Louis. He posted his first triple-double on December 28, recording 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists in an 80–52 win over Eastern Illinois. It was the second triple-double in school history, the first coming from Isacc Miles in 1984, and was also the record for most assists at a CFSB Center game, surpassing the old mark of 12 established by Aubrey Reese against Alabama State in 1999. Morant also had the third-most assists in a single game by a Murray State player. On February 1, 2018, he scored a season-high 23 points against Southeast Missouri State. After averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, Morant earned first-team All-OVC with his teammates Jonathan Stark and Terrell Miller, and OVC All-Newcomer Team accolades. His 6.3 assists per game ranked 14th in the nation his freshman season.He became the seventh freshman in 25 years to accumulate 150 assists, 150 rebounds, and 10 blocks while shooting at least 42 percent from the field.Morant and Murray State advanced to the NCAA Tournament his freshman season after capturing an OVC Championship in a 68–51 win over Belmont. Morant had 15 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds in that game. Murray State would lose in its opening round game to West Virginia, however, falling 85-68 despite Morant’s 14 points.
Ja Morant:2021–22 season: First All-Star and All-NBA selections
On October 20, 2021, in the Grizzlies’ season opener, Morant recorded 37 points and six assists in a 132–121 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.On October 24, he scored 40 points while dishing out 10 assists in a 121–118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 29, Morant put up a season-high 41 points, behind a career-high six made three-pointers, to lead Memphis to a 104–99 victory over the La
On January 26, Morant tied his season-high 41 points, alongside 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in a 118–110 win against the San Antonio Spurs. On January 27, Morant was selected to his first All-Star Game as a West Starter.The next day, Morant logged his fourth career triple-double with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 119–109 win over the Utah Jazz. On February 16, Morant tied his then career high with 44 points, including a career high 20 points in the first quarter, grabbed 5 rebounds and delivered 11 assists in a 123–119 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. On February 26, Morant scored a then career-high 46 points in a 116–110 win over the Chicago Bulls. The total was the record for most points in a game by a Grizzlies player, breaking Mike Miller’s record set in February 2007. On February 28, Morant bested this total, scoring a career-high 52 points, on an efficient 22-of-30 shooting, including 4-4 from beyond the arc, in a 118–105 win over the San Antonio Spurs On March 18, he tweaked his right knee against the Atlanta Hawks and missed nine games. Morant led the Grizzlies to their first Southwest Division title in franchise history. Memphis also tied their franchise record with 56 wins.Despite missing 25 games during the regular season, he was named the winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award.