Bhavya DasHere, we have a profile for Ja Morant that details information about his playing career, as well as his sponsors, brand endorsements, achievements, investments, notable honours and charity work.
About
Temetrius Jamel “Ja” Morant was born on August 10, 1999, in Dalzell, South Carolina. He played for Murray State at college level and was then drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019 as the second overall pick. He was instantly appointed as the starting point guard, and he didn’t disappoint. He started putting in solid numbers and became a big attraction in the West with his flashy plays.
Morant is always a delight to watch because of his burst speed and unreal elevation. He makes his game unstoppable by using his strength in his gameplay.
Morant has been averaging 21.2 points, 7.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game so far in his career. His best season so far came in 2021-22, with him providing his team 27.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game and playing the most important role in the Grizzlies finishing as the #2 seed in the West.
Morant’s achievements include:
- NCAA season assists leader (2019)
- Lute Olson Award (2019)
- Bob Cousy Award (2019)
- OVC Player of the Year (2019)
- 2× First-team All-OVC (2018, 2019)
- OVC Tournament MVP (2019)
- OVC All-Newcomer Team (2018)
- No. 12 retired by the Murray State Racers
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2020)
Also Read – Top 20 best NBA players of the 2021-22 season
Investments
- Morant lives in a 5,000 sq ft luxury flat in Dalzell, South Carolina. The house was bought at a whopping price of US$14 million.
- Morant owns six cars at the moment, which include: an Aston Martin Vintage worth US$350,000, a Rolls-Royce Dawn worth US$1 million, a Mercedes Benz A-Class worth US$50,000, a Porsche Cayenne worth US$77,000 and a Ferrari Roma worth US$226,570.
Net worth
Morant signed a four-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in his rookie year. The contract earns him around US$27 million and his per-year salary for the 2021-22 season was US$9,603,360. The Grizzlies will undoubtedly want to extend his contract after his current one expires. Morant also earns around US$1 million from endorsements.
Charity work
- Morant doesn’t have a charity foundation in his name yet, but he still gives back to society on his own. On his 20th Birthday, he set up a fundraiser to help The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Memphis and pledged to match every donation up to US$10,000.
- In October 2020, he was spotted handing out free pizzas around a gas station in Memphis.
- In October 2020, Ja also gifted a recovery room to Murray State, which is fully designed with NBA-approved technology to help its athletes.
Endorsements
Ja Morant is a young and explosive talent, and because of his flashy and unique gameplay, he is always the point of attraction whenever he is on the court, which is what brands look for. He’s expected to sign more and more deals in the coming seasons and become one of the favourites in the league. Some of his endorsements include:
Nike
Morant was always a big fan of Nike and refused to attend any other meetings except with the American sportswear giant. The contract between the two parties was agreed upon in May 2019, draft lottery day. Morant announced the partnership with an Instagram post on May 27, 2019.
Hulu
In May 2022, Hulu announced that it was partnering with Morant for the “Hulu Sellouts” campaign. The streaming service starred Morant in the commercials for the campaign.
Beats by Dre
During the Beats Studio Buds campaign, in May 2022, Lil Baby debuted his new song “Dark Mode”, which featured Ja Morant. The song talks about Ja going into “dark mode”, which ultimately makes him the best in the world. The Sunset Pink Colorway Beats Studio Buds worn by Lil Baby and Ja Morant started selling at Target, an American store, shortly after the release of the song.
BodyArmor
BodyArmor is a hydration drink company based in Whitestone, New York. It signed Morant as an ambassador in August 2020. The deal entails Morant being featured in branded content to drive interest locally and across the country.
Uber Eats
In April 2022, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Uber Eats teamed up with NBA stars to promote a “Most Dunkable Meal” deal, from April 12 through April 17, 2022, meals were 50% off until then.
Commenting on the deal, Morant said: “It’s no secret that one of my favourite parts of the game is the dunk, so I’m pumped to team up with Uber Eats and Popeyes on the Most Dunkable Meal to put the dunking power in our fans’ hands.”
PSD
In December 2020, the garment company announced a deal with Morant, releasing a variety of collections with the Memphis guard. The signature collection started selling almost instantly after its release.
Panini America
In 2019, before the NBA Draft, trading cards brand Panini America announced a deal with Ja Morant. The exclusive autograph deal covered both trading cards and memorabilia of the star. Ja was always expected to be very high on the draft and was the second overall pick. The first card was released with him receiving the hat.
