“Ja Morant became an All-Star thanks to a tractor tire and a bag of chips!”: How Grizzlies’ star rose to success with unexpected luck

Grizzlies’ star Ja Morant was once an underrated high-school player, is now considered an All-NBA caliber player

The NBA is THE destination for every basketball player. Growing up, every ball player used to dream of making it to the league. There are some, who from the very beginning, show that they are destined for the big league. Players like LeBron James, Zion Williamson, etc. On the other hand, we have our late bloomers, who show potential, but not enough to make it to the big stages.

Ja Morant was one of these players. In high school, Morant was just 5’7 in his freshman season. His dad, Tee Morant, got worried and got a big tractor tire and put it in his backyard. He made Ja jump on it 25 times after each drill. This helped Ja develop his bounce, that is now known throughout the NBA. In 2014, Ja averaged 33-35ppg in an AAU tournament, with future #1 pick Zion Williamson as his teammate.

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Ja’s high school career seemed to go unnoticed, because of his small frame, and he didn’t get any attention from scouts. A camp in the summer before his senior year changed things altogether for the future #2 pick.

A bag of chips got Ja Morant the wings he needed to fly

In the camp Ja attended, he wasn’t selected to participate with the first batch of players, and instead had to go to the other gym, where there were no scouts. James Kane from Murray State was there to recruit another player in the main gym. He got hungry and went down to the concessions stand to get Doritos and a soda. There, he heard the ball bounce in the other gym, and he peeked in. He saw Ja work out for a few minutes, and knew there was a talent they should pursue.

On September 2nd, 2016, Ja committed to play D-1 Basketball at Murray State, and all, as they say, is history.

In his freshman season, Ja averaged 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists as a freshman, leading the Racers to a #12 spot in the NCAA tournament. However, in his sophomore season, he switched things up. He averaged 24.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 10.0 assists, and he took Murray State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

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This led to him enrolling for the 2019 Draft, where he was selected as the #2 pick by the Memphis Grizzlies, and well, you know the rest.