Ja Morant brings out latest Ja 1s in honor of the WNBA

Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant paid homage to the WNBA during the game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday by sporting the latest edition of his Nike Ja 1 sneakers.

The shoes, in an orange colorway with white midsole and swoosh, have the letter ‘W’ on the heel as a nod to the women’s league.

Morant has been a firm supporter of the WNBA, finding time to catch its games whenever possible, and women’s basketball in general. He has a younger sister Teniya, who also plays basketball and is a freshman at Mississippi Valley State.

The game against the Spurs at home is Ja Morant’s seventh game back since serving a league-imposed 25-game suspension for displaying firearms on social media a couple of times last season.

Since his return, the two-time NBA All-Star has been good for 25.2 points, 7.8 assists and five rebounds in 35.5 minutes, with the team going 4-3.

The Grizzlies are out to break a three-game losing streak against San Antonio on Tuesday, which the team was in a good position to achieve as they held an 18-point advantage, 88-70 with nine minutes left to play in the game.

Ja Morant was at the forefront of the attack with 20 points and nine assists at that point and Desmond Bane tallied 24 points.

Ja Morant says league suspension was lesson-filled

Ja Morant lamented being suspended for 25 games to begin the ongoing NBA season for off-court issues he was involved in last season. But while it was tough for him, he said the time away gave him the chance to reflect on his ways and only served to make him better.

In a report published by the Associated Press, the 24-year-old Murray State standout said he had horrible days while away from competition but all in all he made use of the free time to get his act together.

He said:

“In the end, I feel like it made me better. I feel like I learned some stuff about myself that I did during that process. Very eye-opening. It kind of gave me a new look on life. How I go about my days. How I carry myself.”

Morant was quick to say, however, that he is still a work in progress, something he is determined to deliver on as a lot of people are rooting for him to succeed and he does not want to let them down:

“The change will be that my decision-making and how I go about my daily life … being the best Ja I can be.”