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Ja Morant has been through a lot over the last few years. Not only has the Memphis Grizzlies superstar had to deal with all of the drama that came with his suspensions from the team and league as a result of flashing a gun while on a live stream during the 2022-23 season, but the 2023-24 season came to a screeching halt for Morant last year due to a labral tear in his right shoulder.
Ahead of training camp and the start of the new season, Morant has a new aura to him. Since entering the league in 2019, Morant has grown as a leader for the Grizzlies, but more importantly, all of his experiences have helped shape him into a better man for his family.
At media day on Monday, Morant explained how he feels entering the new year and that he is very excited to enter this new chapter of his life.
“No matter what situation it was, I feel like it helped me a lot,” Morant told reporters, according to Avery Braxton of ABC24 Memphis. “Helped me grow more into a better Ja. Right now, I am probably the happiest I feel like I've been in a while. Just having my family, my AAU team, and the little things I was doing to keep me going.
“It makes me happy being able to do it this offseason; catching up with a lot of my family has been good.”
To say the last few years have been a struggle for Morant would be an understatement. Being just 25 years old and having to battle the mental strain his mistakes and injuries have caused takes a toll. But Morant has had a great support system around him, and he is using his past mistakes and failures as a pivotal point in his life to change.
That is why Morant has been able to plant the seeds for his comeback and why he is finally happy.
Ja Morant gets uplifting support around NBA
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The NBA is a brotherhood. Although players may be rivals and competitors on the court, many of them share close bonds off the court in their normal lives.
That is the case for Morant and Brooklyn Nets center Nic Claxton, as the two young players were once AAU teammates together before they even entered the NBA. While he was focused on answering questions about the Nets heading into the 2024-25 season at media day on Monday, Claxton took a moment to talk about his good friend, offering him the uplifting support Morant preached about at his media day press conference.
“I think he's going to get back to himself. That's all he has to do,” Claxton said of Morant on YES Network's broadcast of Nets media day. “Get back to himself. I saw him this summer (and) he's healthy, seems like mentally and physically. I always want to see us South Carolina guys win.”
Morant has made some mistakes. There are no questions about that. But he has taken the proper steps to help himself grow as a young man, and he is ready to once again prove that he is one of the brightest stars in the NBA.
After a disastrous 2023-24 campaign that the Grizzlies endured, a refreshed and happy Ja Morant will lead his organization back into the playoff mix in the Western Conference.
