Morant showing the love
Grizzlies rookie becomes ambassador for Memphis
Never has finishing second been so rewarding for Memphis.
One year ago Thursday, the Grizzlies had a 6.3 percent chance to win the NBA Draft lottery. With the fourth-worst record in the Western Conference and tied for seventh-worst among all teams, a top-five pick seemed unlikely.
There was also a 42.3 percent chance the Grizzlies wouldn’t even have a lottery pick. If their pick was outside the top eight, it would’ve been conveyed to the Boston Celtics per terms of their 2015 trade that brought Jeff Green to Memphis.
Of course, things worked out fine. The Grizzlies won the No. 2 pick in the draft which changed the direction of the franchise when they used it to select Ja Morant.
Morant not only became the favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year but electrified the city with his dunking and passing highlights. Those highlights earned respect from fans and peers around the NBA as he helped the Grizzlies exceed expectations by contending for a playoff spot.
The 20-year-old also became a Memphis ambassador who isn’t shy about promoting the city. Consider his tweet late Tuesday night.
“I love Memphis,” Morant wrote. Instead of the word love, he inserted a heart emoji.
It got retweeted over 1,800 times and was quote tweeted by, among others, rapper Moneybagg Yo and Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield. Silverfield chimed in by saying, “Couldn’t have said it better myself!”
Morant also has unofficially campaigned for the Tigers basketball team
with recruits. When Landers Nolley II posted his final three schools to social media, which included Memphis, Morant quote tweeted it with the letter M emoji, suggesting where Nolley should attend.
Once Nolley signed with Memphis after transferring from Virginia Tech, Morant quickly tweeted his approval.
Since then, he’s done similar quote tweets with the “M” emoji for Tigers targets Greg Brown, who eventually signed with Texas, and Deandre Williams, the
Evansville transfer who is expected to make his college decision Friday with Memphis among his options.
Morant is also itching to return to his day job. After ESPN reported that the NBPA representatives conducted an informal survey on if players want to resume the NBA season, he made it clear on Twitter where he stood.
“I wanna play,” he tweeted with a huffing emoji.
Morant and the Grizzlies will find out in two to four weeks if they’ll play again as both ESPN and The Athletic reported Tuesday. That’s the latest time frame that NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave in a meeting with the league’s Board of Governors.