Ja Morant’s sister, Teniya, ready for basketball journey
There’s a headband-wearing guard from Dalzell, South Carolina, at Houston High. And yes, her jersey number is 12. Oh, and her last name is Morant.
Teniya Morant, the 15-year-old sister of Grizzlies star Ja Morant, is eager to begin her own basketball journey in Memphis. She dreams of one day following in Ja’s footsteps by playing professional basketball.
But she wants to be known as “Niya,” not just Ja’s little sister.
“I’m trying to create my own name for myself instead of just being known as Ja Morant’s sister,” she said. “I want people to be like ‘Oh, that’s Niya’. I don’t want to live under his name for too long.”
The 5-foot-3 sophomore is counting down the days until she can make her season debut on Feb. 18, the week before the Division I district tournaments start. She’s sitting out due to TSSAA rules because she transferred from Briarcrest this summer.
“We’ll be excited to have her. We need some more depth on the wings and I think she’ll provide that for us,” Houston coach Ben Moore said. “She’s pretty tough and a pretty good defender. It’s a pretty important time of year for us to be getting her so we’re trying to get her ready between now and then.”
She’s adjusting to a new school and life in a new city, having moved here in 2019 after Ja was drafted. But her dad, Tee Morant, said that he was confident she would fit in right away.
“Teniya is a social butterfly,” Tee said. “She’ll make friends with anybody. If she sees somebody who is struggling or looks like they’re lonely, Teniya will go up and speak. Teniya is a different type of person and that’s why I admire her so much as a father. Teniya couldn’t care less about what the public has to say, Teniya is going to be Teniya.”
Teniya said that she doesn’t find Memphis that much different than her hometown. What’s different, she said, is the attention that comes with her brother’s success. He does have his image painted on a downtown mural and a giraffe named after him at the Memphis Zoo, after all.
“People recognize me and notice me more. So it’s like if I go out most people are like ‘Oh my God, that’s Ja Morant’s sister,’ “Morant said. “I can’t even go to the mall without getting home and going live and someone being like ‘I saw you at the mall.’ It’s not a bad thing. If someone wants to come up to me, I’m not the type where I’m like I don’t want to talk to you. I’ll have a conversation.”
And she’s not afraid to speak up for what she wants. When she got to Houston, she asked one of her teammates if they could swap jerseys so she could have No. 12.
She’s also into wearing headbands. Ja famously wore them for a while last year, too. He even called himself “Headband 12“at one point.
“Ja got the headband look from me,” Teniya said. “I’ve worn headbands since I don’t know how long. I’ve always worn them in basketball. I used to wear them when I went out too, but now I’m like ‘eh I’m not going to wear a headband when I go out no more.’ ‘l just wear it for basketball.’ “
Ja said he’s excited for Teniya to be able to play. He said he likely won’t be able to make many of her games, which is “tough.” He said he noticed how hard it was for her having to sit out for most of the season.
“I’m the family member that’s in the shadow. I just let her go out and play her game. My dad constantly works with her.” said Ja. “Sometimes she even goes out there by herself and shoots around. I’m excited for her. I know it’s been tough for her expecting to play earlier this year and having to sit. I know she’s excited to go out there and try to help her team.”
Houston, which has made three of the last four state tournaments, is 2-12 this season. They’re a young team that lists only two seniors on the roster. Moore said he hopes Teniya’s addition will give the Mustangs a boost at the end of the regular season.
Teniya said watching her brother rise from an unranked prospect who could barely dunk his junior year of high school to becoming the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020 inspires her to keep working at her own hoop dreams.
“It’s something that energizes me because when I see that he can do it, I know that I can do it,” Teniya Morant said. “Then I think to myself ‘I want to be where he is,’ so when I’m practicing with him I try to do everything he does and I don’t stop until I get it.”
“I’m trying to create my own name for myself instead of just being known as Ja Morant’s sister.”
Teniya Morant