11/5/2022 1 Comment Ja morant wingspanI definitely wanted to speak out being a father. “I was trying to speak out as much as possible. “I was proud when I saw players, teams and organizations stepping up and speaking out,” Morant said. Morant wore the social justice message “Enough” on the back of his Grizzlies jersey throughout the NBA restart. Morant, who has a young daughter, said he was strongly affected by the police brutality deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, and the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. While Morant was down about being eliminated, he said he was excited about the experience in the bubble, including being a part of the social justice movement led by the NBA players in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25. I wanted to make it to the playoffs, therefore I had to put my body on the line and fought with my teammates.” “But, I was trying to do whatever I could to help my team win. The Sumter, South Carolina, native also played with a significant upper leg injury that he confirmed to The Undefeated. Morant revealed after the season-ending loss that he was playing in the bubble with a fractured thumb. But ultimately the team fell short of making the postseason after losing a first-ever playoff play-in game in the NBA bubble to the Portland Trail Blazers. Morant’s individual success helped put the Grizzlies into the playoff picture earlier than expected. To be able to win it and back up my words was something good.” Related Story Memphis Grizzlies to celebrate legendary Isaac Hayes with special uniforms Read now I also told my family once I got drafted that I was going to win the award. “There are not many people you can name who have won that award. “Being named rookie of the year felt great, honestly,” Morant said. The former Murray State star landed 99 of 100 first-place votes (one went to Williamson) from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters to earn rookie of the year. Morant joined NBA All-Stars LeBron James and Nikola Jokic as the only three players to average at least 17.0 points and 6.0 assists and shoot 49% or better from the field last season. From start to finish, Morant was the steadiest rookie in the class, finishing the season with per-game averages of 17.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 47.7% from the field. While there was a lot of hype surrounding New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson entering the 2019-20 season, it was Morant who stole the show. “I wasn’t satisfied after winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award.” “I want to have a very successful career. “A lot more,” Morant told The Undefeated in a phone interview last week while promoting his upcoming docuseries Promiseland. So, what has the Memphis Grizzlies budding star promised for his second NBA season? Ja Morant promised his family he would win the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
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