Temetrius Jamel who is better known as Ja Morant is a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association was born on August 10, 1999. Morant was a first-team All-American as a sophomore in college basketball with the Murray State Racers team in 2019.
Although he was voted All-Region Most Valuable Player three times and received All-State honours at Crestwood High School, Morant was only marginally recruited by NCAA Division I institutions and was not ranked by recruiting agencies. Yet, he had an immediate effect at Murray State University and was named to the Ohio Valley Conference’s (OVC) first team as a freshman. Morant had a spectacular sophomore year, leading the NCAA in assists and winning OVC Player of the Year and he made NCAA records as a sophomore by averaging more than 20 points and 10 assists in each game for an entire season.
The Grizzlies chose Ja Morant with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, and in 2020 he was voted the league’s Rookie of the Year. After winning the NBA Most Improved Player Award at the end of the season, Morant was nominated to his first All-NBA Team and was named to his first NBA All-Star Game as a starter in 2022.
Early life and High School Career of Ja Morant
Ja Morant was born to his parents Tee and Jamie Morant in Dalzell, South Carolina. Ja Morant’s father, Tee Morant was also a basketball player during his high school and college days and his love for the game was passed to his son. Ja Morant’s father’s age is currently 48 years old as he was in 1974 and presently resides in South Carolina. His father was a high school friend of Ray Allen and played basketball for Claflin University, while his mother, Jamie, was a point guard in high school and a softball player in college. After playing semi-professionally, Tee thought about going overseas to play professional basketball, but when Jamie became pregnant with Ja, he decided to stay at home and pursue a career as a barber.
Ja Morant’s father has always supported his career. Ja Morant worked out in his backyard with his father who purchased him tractor tyres to practise jumping with a smooth landing and taught him step-back jump shots. He frequently competed against older opponents when he was younger, telling his mother, “I’m not scared about the big kids.” Morant competed on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit with the South Carolina Hornets which was a modest local team in Columbia, South Carolina. He shared a squad for one season with Zion Williamson, who went on to become one of the best players in his class.
Ja Morant attended Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. In his first three years with the squad, he grew from 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) to 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m). Morant scored a career-high 47 points against Sumter High School to leave as the team’s all-time leading scorer (1,679 points overall). Averaging 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in his final two seasons at Crestwood, he was named to the South Carolina Class 3A All-State team each year. Morant also graduated from high school as the three-time Most Valuable Player of the Region (MVP). He had to be a senior before he could dunk.
The Career of Ja Morant
Ja Morant began his basketball career by competing with the Murray Street Racers. Morant didn’t receive a ranking from ESPN, 247Sports, or Rivals. His sole NCAA Division I offer was this one.
In July 2016, by chance, Murray State’s assistant coach James Kane happened to visit a camp looking for a player.
He played in his college for the Murray States from 2017 to 2019. Presently, Morant is a player for the Memphis Grizzlies team.
Personal life of Ja Morant
Teniya Morant, who is Morant’s younger sister, competes for Hillcrest Middle School in Dalzell. Teniya grew up playing basketball with Morant in their backyard. On his left arm, he bears the tattoo “beneath no one,” instruction from his mother. Rapper Lil Baby is a favourite of Morant’s. Russell Westbrook, who Morant referred to as his favourite player since Westbrook is frequently passed over by college recruiters, much like he was when he was in high school, is sometimes compared to him because of his athleticism.
Ja Morant’s Girlfriend’s Name
In the past, Ja Morant was dating a girl. Ja Morant’s girlfriend’s name was KK Dixon. They were in a relationship until Ja Morant’s gf posted a picture of them in the latter part of 2018. The couple has a daughter named Kaari Jaidyn Morant who was born in 2019. However, the couple didn’t get married so Ja Morant doesn’t have a wife. Ja Morant’s marital status is unmarried and currently, he is not dating anyone so he holds a single status.
Physical Appearance of Ja Morant
Ja Morant is an attractive, intelligent, and stylish man with a pleasant and dashing personality. Morant has a regular body type and outstanding physical measurements which gives him a powerful and handsome figure. Ja Morant is about 6 feet 3 inches in height or 192 centimetres and his body weight is around 79 Kg or 174 lbs. Ja Morant’s hair colour is black and also has blistering black colour with beautiful and mesmerizing eyes. Ja Morant’s hairstyle is dreadlocks usually which suits him well. Ja Morant’s wingspan is 2.01m.
Controversies Related to Ja Morant
A story detailing an altercation between associates of Morant and players of the Indiana Pacers, against whom the club played on January 29, was published by The Athletic on February 5, 2023. Guard Andrew Nembhard of the Pacers and Morant’s father got into a verbal fight during the game. Following a verbal argument between Morant and Nembhard, Pacers guard Chris Duarte attempted to physically fight Morant. After arguing with Davonte Pack, a friend of Morant, Pacers forward James Johnson benched Pack from the contest.
The report claims that close friends of Morant “aggressively confronted” Pacers partygoers in front of their team bus. Then, according to Morant, someone in an SUV that Morant was riding in allegedly shot a red laser at the bus. Two Pacers party guests who spoke with The Athletic thought the laser was mounted on a pistol. “That’s one hundred per cent a gun,” exclaimed a Pacers security guard near the bus loading area, while another witness said they, “thought we were in terrible danger.” The NBA later investigated the event, during which they questioned numerous witnesses and looked through video evidence.
The league “substantiated that a postgame scene evolved that was combative,” said spokesman Mike Bass, but they “could not confirm that any individual threatened others with a weapon.” The Grizzlies’ home facility, FedEx Forum, has prohibited “certain persons involved” from attending games there, according to Bass. Then, Morant debunked all accusations and made it clear that Pack had been barred from the Forum for a year in a tweet on Twitter.
Television Appearance of Ja Morant
A six-episode documentary about Morant’s first NBA season, Promiseland, was released by him on June 3.
Rapper J. Cole gave Ja Morant a shout-out on the song named “My Life” off Cole’s 2021 album The Off-Season. In honour of Morant being elected NBA Rookie of the Year, rapper Moneybagg Yo released the song “Rookie of the Year” on June 1, 2021. The song shows Morant’s ascent from an unknown college freshman to NBA Rookie of the Year in 2019–20 while also reflecting on his “underdog mindset.”
Career Highlights and Awards of Ja Morant
The followings are the highlights of Ja Morant’s career and the awards he received till now:
- 2× NBA All-Star in 2022 and 2023
- All-NBA Second Team in 2022
- NBA Most Improved Player in 2022
- NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020
- NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2020
- Consensus first-team All-American in 2019
- NCAA season assists leader in 2019
- Lute Olson Award in 2019
- Bob Cousy Award in 2019
- OVC Player of the Year in 2019
- 2× First-team All-OVC in 2018 and 2019
- OVC tournament MVP in 2019
- OVC All-Newcomer Team in 2018
- No. 12 retired by Murray State Racers
The final words
Temetrius Jamel “Ja” Morant, also known as Ja Morant, is a basketball player from the United States. Ja Morant has a $7 million net worth as of 2023. He plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). So this was all about Ja Morant’s personal life and career. We hope you found this article informative and you have got the details about him that you were looking for.