After serving his 25-game suspension, Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant made his highly-anticipated home debut for the 2023-24 season yesterday night in front of a sold-out crowd at FedExForum. He scored 20 points, dished out eight assists, and grabbed five rebounds as the Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 116-103.
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Morant was visibly overcome with emotion in the post-game interview, where he was accompanied by his daughter Kaari. When asked how he felt about his return to Memphis, the two-time All-Star said, “This my family here, love to be able to play in front of them again and definitely love to come and get a win. But, yeah man, I just love it.”
The 24-year-old’s voice could be heard breaking toward the end of his statement. Morant tried his best to keep his composure but fans could hear him trying to swallow his emotions. He concluded the interview saying, “Don’t make me get emotional right here in front of the camera.”
Morant received a thunderous ovation from the crowd during the player introductions, which also came with a warm welcome back from veteran guard Derrick Rose. Rose made a thoughtful pregame announcement, saying, “On behalf of the fans, I wanna say, ‘Welcome Back, Ja. We proud of you, shorty.’”
The whole game felt like a massive party for Morant, who received ‘MVP’ chants almost every time he made a basket. The Grizzlies superstar is rinsing off the rust from his eight-month layoff. But his performance against the Pacers suggests it won’t be long before he’s back to playing at the level that kept him in the MVP award contention last season.
With two wins in the two games he has played, Morant is determined to put Memphis back into playoff contention. The Grizzlies are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a record of 9-19.
Ja Morant’s magical comeback from suspension
The game against the Pacers was Ja Morant’s first game at home since his suspension ended. He marked his return with a fabulous performance against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. He played 35 minutes and finished with 34 points, six rebounds and eight assists, capping off his return to the NBA with a game-winning buzzer-beater.
Poetically, it was against the team that passed the opportunity to pick Morant with the first overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. Zion Williamson, the Pelicans’ pick over the Grizzlies superstar, played only 25 minutes and finished with 13 points, three rebounds, and four assists.
