Ja Morant Real Name: What Does Ja Stand For?

Ja Morant has been in the news for some very cavalier reasons lately. The Grizzlies superstar has been accused of several run-ins with law enforcement over the recent past.

The 23-year-old was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 2nd pick of the 2019 NBA Draft. Ja secured this high draft position on the back of an excellent NCAA Tournament run with Murray State.

Given his boundless energy, speed and overall athleticism, Morant didn’t take long to make his mark. With him leading the way, the Grizzlies reached the play-in tournament in his rookie year.

More improvements followed for him in his second season. The Grizzlies made it to the playoffs as the no. 8 seeds. The following year, Memphis finished with 56 wins – the second-highest tally in the league.

Left is MVP Derrick Rose. Right is Ja Morant this season.

25.0 PPG 27.3 PPG
4.1 RPG 6.0 RPG
7.7 APG 8.3 APG
44.5 FG% 46.6 FG% pic.twitter.com/GEOgKFnCPt

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 21, 2023

Ja Morant has also been in MVP conversations, albeit those have cooled down after a bad run for the Grizzlies. The team is nonetheless expected to keep its no. 2 seed in a competitive Western Conference.

Ja Morant Real Name

Ja’s real name, according to his birth certificate, is Temetrius Jamal Murray. He went by his middle name throughout his basketball career. The phrase ‘Ja’ is just a shortening of Jamal.

Practically no one calls him by his first name in real life. This question has been on the minds of a few unaware NBA fans ever since an article chronicling some of his run-ins went viral on Reddit this week.

Charles Barkley on Ja Morant: “First of all, I told ya I don’t even like the kid because anybody who has two letters in their name can’t be real.” pic.twitter.com/wH4aGvsaa0

— hoops bot (@hoops_bot) January 14, 2022

Also Read – Why is Ja Morant Suspended? Fact-Checking Grizzlies Star’s Punishment Over Allegations of Violence Against Minor

Ja Morant nationality

Ja Morant was born in Dalzell, South Carolina. The Murray State product went to high school in Sumter, South California. Morant is eligible to represent Team USA Basketball.

Why has Ja been in the news?

In an incident from last month, a group of Morant’s friends was said to have threatened the visiting Indiana Pacers with lasers pointing at them. Many thought that the laser belonged to a gun.

Ja was also involved in a scuffle with mall security last summer. A group of Ja with 9 friends turned up at the location after his mother called them.

Morant has also been accused of beating up a 17-year-old kid at a pickup game organized at his private court. In a separate incident, Morant was said to have pointed a gun at another 17-year-old.

Also Read – Skip Bayless Believes Ja Morant Sees Himself as Tony Soprano, and That the Case Involving a Minor Could Be It for Grizzlies Guard