Ja Morant's Journey from Small Town to Big League Success

by Kaleab Afeworki, age 12

Ja Morant was selected in the 2019 NBA draft as the second overall pick to the Memphis Grizzlies. He is also one of the most athletic players in the NBA, which includes being one of the most precious point guards in the NBA.

Morant’s net worth is now exactly known. In his first season as a professional basketball player, he earned $8.7 million. Morant currently has a two-year $17.9 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. He also signed a multi-year deal with Nike.

Morant was born on Aug. 10, 1999, in Dalzell, South Carolina. Morant’s parents are Tee and Jamie Morant, and he also has a younger sister named Teniya. Morant always wanted to be an NBA player, and he would train daily with his father and sister in their backyard.

Morant attended Crestwood High School, and left Crestwood as their all-time leading scorer with 1,679 points. He also scored 47 points in one of his games to set a career high. When Morant left high school, he was not ranked by any top recruiting services. South Carolina was his best offer. Some of his other offers were Duquesne University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Wofford College, and Murray State University. He ended up signing with the Murray State Racers.

His first double-double happened on Dec. 12, 2017, with ten points and 12 rebounds. They would unfortunately lose to Saint Louis. Then Morant became the second player to put up a triple-double in school history. In his second year, Morant began to catch the eye of some scouts. His breakout game came when he faced Alabama. He scored a season high of 38 points.

Morant was picked by the Memphis Grizzlies with the second overall pick in 2019. Morant finally signed with the Grizzlies on July 2, 2019. On Feb. 9, 2020, Morant recorded his first triple-double. He was on track to win the Rookie of the Year trophy, but Covid-19 ended the season early.

Since the pandemic, Morant has been classified as one of the best basketball players to be in the league. He also has 11 triple-doubles in his NBA career so far. Morant’s career has only just begun, more games will allow for him to showcase his incredible skills.

[Source: Lines]