Ja Morant is one of the most promising players in the NBA right now, making a lot of noise during his first three seasons in the league, even leading his team to a No. 2 seed finish in the Western Conference this campaign. Just like his game improves, so does his trash-talking, as he’s not afraid to go against anybody both on and off the court.
Regardless of his age, Morant is also a very outspoken player who won’t hesitate to call out people while playing or even on social media. Recently, he confirmed this with a bold claim, saying that he would beat none other than Michael Jordan in MJ’s era.
Talking with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Ja confidently stated that he wouldn’t have any issues against the six-time NBA champion. First, he showed his appreciation for MJ, saying that he would have liked to go at it with him during his era.
"I would've cooked him too" 😂@JaMorant is confident he would've beat Michael Jordan in his era pic.twitter.com/TEKJtcgqJC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 10, 2022
“I wish I played in his generation,” Morant started. “I heard he was, like how high he go about the game, just that mindset. I would have liked to play against him.”
Then, things took a turn when Ja said he would have ‘cooked’ MJ, stating that you have to be that confident no matter what you do.
“I would have cooked him. I would have cooked him, too. Nobody got more confidence than 12. I’ll say nobody gon’ beat me one-on-one or anything. I don’t care what it is, what sports it is, soccer. Who’s the best player in soccer? Come on, we can play.”
It’s great to see that this man has a lot of confidence in himself and won’t hesitate to prove himself against anybody. Maybe these words could get him a duel with Jordan, who previously cooked Stephen Jackson for making similar comments about him. Still, it’d be hard to see MJ lacing them up for a duel against Morant, but Ja definitely would want that smoke.
Next season will be challenging for the Memphis Grizzlies, who were arguably the hardest rival the 2022 NBA champions Golden State Warriors had to face in the playoffs. With playoff experience and a more mature team, Ja and co. could compete to win the Western Conference, but the job will be hard to accomplish, seeing how competitive the West will be.
