If and when the NBA season comes to a close, Ja Morant will probably end up walking away with rookie of the year honors. He has been phenomenal for the Memphis Grizzlies and his talents have helped turn the Grizzlies into a playoff team. Prior to this season, Morant played college basketball for Murray State which is located in Kentucky. Morant loved his time in Murray, and now, he is trying to create some valuable social change in the area.
Recently, Morant sent a letter to a judge in Kentucky asking for a Confederate statue in downtown Murray to be removed. As Morant notes, the Confederacy was quite racist and while the statue reminds us of history, it's a history that is shrouded in hate, and ultimately, it makes many uncomfortable.
Morant's sentiment is one that has been shared by many throughout the world over the past few weeks. With protests against racial inequality spreading throughout the country, many are debating the validity of Confederate statues and the flag itself. Morant is well-aware of this fight and his voice is certainly one that could get the attention of lawmakers.
It remains to be seen whether or not his request will be taken seriously, although we can't help but comment Morant for his efforts.
Ja Morant Changes His GOAT Pick Following "The Last Dance"
Ja Morant might be a young player but now he's realizing who some of the greatest to ever do it are.
Thanks to the ESPN documentary "The Last Dance," a whole generation of basketball players are now being made privy to the incredible talents of none other than Michael Jordan. Of course, most adults see Jordan as the greatest player of all time, however, many young stars never got to see MJ play. This doc allowed the young ones to finally get a glimpse at just how amazing MJ truly was throughout his numerous championship runs.
One of the players who was convinced of MJ's greatness was none other than Ja Morant. In a recent interview with Taylor Rooks, Morant admitted that he didn't know much about Jordan although the documentary made him realize that he is the true GOAT. As Morant explained, he used to think it was LeBron but now his mind has been successfully changed.
“I haven’t seen Jordan play in person other than highlights. You know, ‘The Last Dance’ actually gave me an opportunity to see how [Jordan] actually was, how he played, his mindset. … I think he’s the GOAT,” Morant said.
It's pretty impressive to see someone so young allow their mind to be changed like that. In today's day and age, most people are pretty stubborn to their beliefs but Morant allowed himself to receive new information and adjust accordingly.
Perhaps others were swayed by "The Last Dance" as well.
Ja Morant Reveals Why Andre Iguodala Snubbed The Grizzlies
Ja Morant was very honest about the circumstances involving Andre Iguodala’s holdout in Memphis.
It feels like forever ago now but back in February, the Memphis Grizzlies traded Andre Iguodala to the Miami Heat after a half-season of holding out. Iguodala had been dealt to the Grizzlies the Golden State Warriors and it was clear that he had no interest in playing with the young guns down south. Iggy claims the team allowed for him to sit out although, during an interview on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Ja Morant explained that it was much deeper than that.
As the rookie told Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Iguodala felt like the team simply wasn’t good enough and that they weren’t worth his time. While Iguodala is in a good situation in Miami, it’s important to note that the Grizzlies are in a playoff spot right now.
“Coming in, when they said he was going to be on our roster, I was very excited having a vet like that in the locker room with us,” Morant said. “Me coming in that first year, I was looking forward to learning some stuff from him and he was saying he wasn’t going to play with us or whatever happened. Like you said it’s a business, all different stuff going around, somebody said he said we weren’t good enough so in my head I was like it is what it is.”
While Iguodala’s feelings towards the Grizzlies may have been harsh, they make sense considering he wants to finish his career with an NBA title. Don’t get us wrong, the Grizzlies will be great for years to come. However, for an aging veteran, they aren’t the best landing spot. At least not right now.
Ja Morant Responds To Lil Wayne’s Shoutout
Lil Wayne had some high praise for Ja Morant during an appearance on the "All The Smoke" podcast.
Ja Morant was killing it in his first year in the NBA, prior to the suspension of the season due to the Coronavirus. If and when the league resumes, Morant's Memphis Grizzlies will be in a playoff spot which is something no one would have predicted at the beginning of the season. With that being said, Morant has been impressing a lot of people, including some of the most well-established artists in the entire world. On a recent episode of the "All The Smoke" podcast, Lil Wayne praised Morant for being one of the best young players in the entire league.
Morant was made aware of this praise and took to Twitter with one word: "Love." Clearly, Morant was surprised by the shoutout although he was incredibly happy to receive it, nonetheless.
Morant was also making a great case for himself to win rookie of the year honors. If the league does, in fact, resume, Morant will surely be a lock for the award. While one could make the case for Zion Williamson, the Pelicans star only played less than half the season, while Morant would have played a full campaign. This fact alone should go a long way in deciding who gets the ROTY honor.
Regardless, it's clear that Morant is already having a huge impact on the sport.
Lil Wayne Reveals His Favorite Players In Today’s NBA
When Lil Wayne isn’t watching the Lakers, he is watching some of the NBA’s finest young players.
Lil Wayne is one of the greatest rappers of all time and when he isn’t writing new songs and recording new music, he can be found watching live sports. Basketball is easily one of his favorites and it is well-documented that he is a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. Recently, Wayne went on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes where he spoke about his love of Kobe Bryant and a whole range of other topics.
Sticking to sports, Wayne was asked about who are some of his favorite players in the NBA right now. As a Lakers fan, Wayne made sure to acknowledge LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the entire Lakers bench. From there, he spoke about a plethora of veteran players, as well as some young guns were thrown into the mix.
The aforementioned veterans were Chris Paul, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. From there, Wayne spoke about two of the league’s standout rookies, Ja Morant and Zion Williamson. Wayne was particularly impressed by Ja Morant who was making the Memphis Grizzlies look like a bonafide playoff team.
With Wayne’s comments in mind, it’s clear that he is paying attention to the next generation of players. If you get name-dropped by Wayne, you must be doing something right.
Dwyane Wade Reveals His 3 Favorite Rookies From This Season
Dwyane Wade mentioned some big names when describing his favorite NBA newcomers.
Dwyane Wade is just like us in the sense that he is equally as bored in light of the Coronavirus-induced shutdown of the NBA. With nothing better to do except self-isolate, DWade decided to take to Twitter where he did a Q&A with all of his fans. There were some pretty great questions being asked and at one point, a fan wanted to know who Wade's favorite rookies are this year.
Wade gave some pretty obvious answers although his third choice was definitely one that will make Chicago Bulls fans happy. The NBA legend picked Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and Coby White. Curiously, Wade omitted Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat but such is life. We're sure Wade still thinks highly of the Heat young gun.
Wade's answer created some debate in the comments section which is typical for these kinds of takes. At the end of the day, fans want to see their favorites represented and if you don't mention them, the fans begin to feel some type of way.
As for Zion and Morant, they were in a battle for rookie of the year although Morant would have most likely won it considering Zion missed the first half of the season. With the NBA season in limbo, there is no telling whether or not a rookie of the year award will actually be handed out.
Charles Barkley Vows To Blow A Gasket If Zion Wins ROY Award
Charles Barkley is going to be furious if Zion Williamson is named NBA Rookie of the Year over Ja Morant.
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is a shoe-in to win the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, but if somehow Zion Williamson takes home the honors NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is going to be absolutely irate.
When discussing the Morant vs Zion Rookie of the Year race, Barkley says (H/T Bleacher Report's David Gardner): "I wanna say this about Zion Williamson. He’s an amazing kid from a distance. He’s been a great jolt of energy for the NBA. *BUT* if they screw Ja Morant out of this Rookie of the Year thing, I’m going to be really pissed, and I’m going to blow a gasket on TNT."
Tom Pennington/Getty Images
Zion is doing his very best to make things interesting down the stretch, but it's highly unlikely he'll overthrow Morant at this point so Chuck's gasket is probably safe.
In the 19 games since making his NBA debut on January 22nd, Zion leads all rookies in points and rebounds per game with 23.6 and 6.8, while Morant has averaged 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and a rookie-leading 7 assists per game in 58 appearances.
There's still an outside chance that Zion's Pelicans can make the playoffs over Morant's Grizz, which would certainly help his case, but NOLA would have to make up four games over an 18-game stretch to close out the season. And even if Zion appears in each of those 18 contests, he will have only played in a total of 37 games this season and there's simply now way that's enough to earn the ROY award, right?
Although, it might be worth it just to see Barkley lose his shit on live television.
Ja Morant Reacts To Rookie Of The Year Race With Dismissive Energy
Ja Morant was the clear frontrunner for rookie of the year before Zion Williamson showed up.
Ja Morant came into the NBA with a chip on his shoulder and he has easily been one of the league's most impressive players, early on. The Memphis Grizzlies star has put his team in a playoff position with just over 20 games to go in the season. It remains to be seen whether or not the Grizzlies will get there but so far, so good.
Morant is one of the frontrunners for the Rookie Of The Year trophy although if you had asked anyone about a month ago, it would have been clear that Morant should win. Now, Morant is facing stiff competition from Zion Williamson who has been brilliant in his first 15 games. There seems to be a real debate as to who should win the award but according to Omari Sankofa of The Athletic, Morant couldn't care less.
“I honestly don’t care about Rookie of the Year. They can give that to who they want," Morant said. This answer is certainly open for interpretation in the sense that he could either really not care, or he would rather focus on something else because, in actuality, it's bothering him. Regardless of what his reason for feeling this way is, there is no doubt he will most likely come away with the ROTY trophy, especially if his team makes the postseason.
Who do you think should get rookie of the year? Let us know in the comments, below.
LeBron James Reveals Who He Thinks Is Carrying NBA Forward
LeBron James had some kind words for those who will be the face of the league for years to come.
LeBron James has been dominating the NBA ever since he entered the league back in 2003. Coming out of high school, there were a lot of expectations thrust upon LeBron and so far, he has lived up every single one. LeBron is now 35 years old and is in his 17th season. Despite this, he has yet to slow down from a production standpoint. His Los Angeles Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference and he has a solid chance of winning the NBA title.
As his career winds down, the NBA will look for other young players to become the face of the NBA. LeBron is well-aware of this and has started mentoring some young players. Recently. LeBron spoke out about the future of the league and name-dropped young phenoms like Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, and Trae Young.
All five of these players have been impressive this season. Zion and Ja are some of the best rookies we have seen in a long time all while Tatum, Doncic, and Young continue to dominate out on the court. These offensive juggernauts are the future of the league and as LeBron says, the NBA is in great hands moving forward.
We can only imagine how these players feel knowing LeBron is backing them.
LeBron James Praises Ja Morant: "The Kid Is Super Special"
LeBron James has high praise for the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, Ja Morant. The two squared off Saturday night in Memphis.
Ja Morant continued his Rookie of the Year caliber season Saturday night, outplaying LeBron James and beating the Lakers 105-88. After the game, both players spoke about each other with high praise, according to ESPN.
Harry How / Getty Images
"The kid is super special," said James, "Like I said when we just played him in L.A., Memphis got a great one. They got a great one. So, the sky's the limit for the kid."
"That's big bro -- the King," Morant said. "I mean, I feel like everybody knows who he is. Just somebody that I look up to, a great [role] model. He's just one of a kind. I don't think there can be another LeBron."
Morant finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 6 rebounds in the dominating victory. He easily outplayed James who scored 19 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds.
In the second half, Morant attempted a dunk on Lakers' big man Anthony Davis but was called for a charge; however, the sheer athleticism of the play was enough for it to make highlight reels.
