One of the biggest stories this season has to be the rise of Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have become one of the best and most entertaining teams in the NBA this season, led by All-Star Ja Morant. Morant has been playing at an incredibly high level. The Grizzlies have begun to win people over, with fans expecting success in the playoffs for the first time since the ‘Grit and Grind’ era.
Earlier this season, Morant famously refused to high-five and greet a pair of young fans in the arena because they were wearing Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors jerseys. He spoke after the game that it was disrespectful of the young fans, but that he would be happy to greet them and sign autographs once they wore Memphis jerseys and became fans of the Grizzlies.
Just a few days later, the young fan traded in his Stephen Curry jersey for a Ja Morant jersey. And last night, Ja held his end of the deal and signed autographs for the young fans, as they came to the arena covered head to toe in Memphis Grizzlies merchandise. Morant found an innovative way to help grow his popularity and the popularity of his franchise.
PROMISES KEPT ✔️
Remember those young Warriors fans that @JaMorant refused to high-five earlier this season? Well, he converted them to @memgrizz fans and now he's signing gear for them at tonight's game.@thefishnation | @ChrisVernonShow pic.twitter.com/WffX1EQYSJ
— FanDuel Sports Network South (@FanDuelSN_SO) March 29, 2022
Ja Morant has quickly become one of the most popular players in the NBA. Few would have seen this level of success coming for Ja, especially in such a short amount of time. Coming into the NBA, Morant was part of the 2019 NBA Draft class and was drafted right after Zion Williamson. Almost everyone in the NBA expected Williamson to become the superstar sensation that Ja is quickly on his way to becoming.
Going forward, the Grizzlies will now turn their attention to the NBA playoffs. The Grizzlies are currently the second seed in the Western Conference, and many fans and analysts have backed the Grizzlies to emerge out of the Western Conference and make it to the NBA Finals. It would be an amazing accomplishment for this young team if they were able to do so.
