Ja Morant

Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He first rose to national prominence playing college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019. Selected second overall in the 2019 NBA draft, Morant established himself in the league by winning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2020.

Morant was born on August 10, 1999, in Dalzell, South Carolina, to Tee and Jamie Morant. His mother played high school point guard and college softball, while his father played college basketball at Claflin University. Morant trained extensively in his backyard with his father and played Amateur Athletic Union basketball for the South Carolina Hornets. At Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina, Morant became the all-time leading scorer with 1,679 points, earning South Carolina Class 3A All-State honors twice and three All-Region Most Valuable Player awards.

Despite being unranked by major recruiting services, Morant committed to Murray State University. As a freshman during the 2017–18 season, he averaged 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game, earning first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) honors. He recorded the second triple-double in school history and helped lead the Racers to an OVC championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

In his sophomore season, Morant led NCAA Division I in assists and won OVC Player of the Year. He set single-season assist records for both Murray State and the OVC, scored a career-high 40 points against SIU Edwardsville, and posted a triple-double against Marquette in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Closing his college career with averages of 24.5 points and 10 assists per game, Morant became the first player in NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists per game in a single season.

Morant was selected second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2019 NBA draft, signing a four-year contract. In his debut season, he led all rookies in assists and total points, earning NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA All-Rookie First Team honors. In 2021, Morant scored 35 points in a play-in tournament victory against Golden State to secure Memphis's first playoff berth in four seasons, later scoring 47 points in Game 2 of their first-round series against Utah.

During the 2021–22 season, Morant earned his first NBA All-Star selection as a starter, was named to the All-NBA Team, and won the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He set a Grizzlies franchise record by scoring 52 points against San Antonio and logged the franchise's first postseason triple-double against Minnesota. Following off-the-court incidents and injury-riddled seasons, Morant was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2026 off-season.