The recent dunk from Ja Morant on Victor Wembanyama created quite the chapter in the Memphis Grizzlies guard’s sensational storyline so far this season. Interestingly, it also helped the 24-year-old win a $37000 bet after Pooh Shiesty openly declared it sometime back. Following this, the rapper frantically defended himself while being in the public eye, expressing his desire to preserve his betting money.
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In November, Shiesty threw a challenge to Morant on Instagram, while the latter was serving his 25-game suspension. “I got 37 racks [$37000] you dunk on Wemba yo first game back!!” he commented on Instagram, declaring the conditions of the bet. The 2x All-Star thus had to wait a couple of weeks to face the Frenchman before turning it into a reality and fairly winning the wager.
Following this, another artist THIRTBALL, openly reminded both Morant and Shiesty of the bet, stating, “Ja Morant, Pooh Shiesty said 37 racks, I told em what type time you was on”. Shiesty responded to it from his Instagram story with the caption, “I owe Ja a** a real gaffle bet back fytb. S**t ain’t really count”. Later, Morant reacted to the entire exchange with laughing emojis, relishing the entertainment.
Despite Shiesty’s apparent denial, the point guard’s endeavors against the rookie counted as an NBA dunk. In the fourth quarter of their home game against the San Antonio Spurs, the 6ft 2″ star snatched the spotlight with that instance. He penetrated into the paint with a crossover to eventually perform a two-handed dunk over Wembanyama.
So, the comments from Shiesty only displayed his intentions for preserving his thousands of dollars after seemingly underestimating the youngster. Morant also took the entire situation sportingly as he did not escalate the scenario further, despite the money he was owed. Thus, it also put forward the maturity on the part of the South Carolina-born as he remained focused on bigger things in life.
How Ja Morant has been performing since his comeback
His comeback game against the New Orleans Pelicans was a statement to the rest of the league, as he showed no signs of rustiness. Luckily for the Grizzlies, Morant has been able to maintain consistency ever since then, averaging 25.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. Despite struggling with his scoring from behind the arc, the franchise talisman has been able to make up for it with an efficient 47.7% field goal percentage.
His play against the Spurs was no exception as he registered 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists in 35 minutes on the court. After the match, the 2020 ROTY even candidly expressed his thoughts about consistency as he shed light on the team’s effort. “We kind of getting in the flow and got to continue to work on it, continue to keep clicking,” he declared in an interview.
His words carried a level of truth as the organization went 6-19 without his services this season. Since his return though, they are on a 5-4 run while being able to somewhat recover their form from the last few seasons. So, the morale remains high within the camp, as the journey remains an uphill one for the Western Conference team.
