“That Was Pretty Much a Big Time Moment for Me”: Ja Morant, Who Said He Could Cook Michael Jordan, Reveals the LeBron James Story Which Made His Rookie Year Special

Ja Morant is one of the hottest prospects in the NBA currently. While he has only been in the league for 3 years, Morant has already established himself as one of the most exciting players. His confidence skyrocketed after the 23-year-old’s breakout season in 2021-22. However, like most other rookies, Morant was star-struck after playing against LeBron James in his first year in the NBA.

After an excellent season in which he put on numerous dazzling displays, Morant made some polarizing statements. He claimed that he would beat Michael Jordan. “I would have cooked him too!“, Morant exclaimed. While he was ridiculed for making such an outrageous statement, it just showed his confidence in his abilities.

Although he has become an All-Star now, Ja Morant was just a kid going up against his heroes during his rookie year. He mentioned during an interview how playing against LeBron James for the first time was a huge moment for him. After Morant was asked who he wished to have swapped his jersey with, he didn’t hesitate in naming the Los Angeles Lakers star.

“I actually got Bron and AD jersey after the same game. That was pretty much a big-time moment for me“, gushed Morant. He continued, “Obviously, my rookie year, playing against all the top guys was pretty much like a star-struck moment for me.”

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From watching them play regularly on TV to lacing up against them was a huge moment for Morant. He also mentioned that his first star-struck moment was his matchup against Kyrie Irving. He was taken aback by Irving’s pre-match dribbling skills.

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies had a better season than LeBron James’ Lakers

While LeBron is still the standard bearer in the league, Morant has quickly become a fan favorite. His Memphis Grizzlies surprised everyone after their brilliant regular season in which they finished with the second-best record in the league. Morant was the superstar in a team of excellent role players.

On top of making his first All-Star appearance, Morant was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He was also named the Most Improved Player in spite of missing 25 games. After an impressive run, the Grizzlies were eliminated by eventual champions Golden State Warriors in the Conference Semis as Morant missed the last 3 games due to injury.

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Morant’s stock is on the rise. The Grizzlies will no doubt be a key player in the West for the foreseeable future. Only time will tell whether Morant can translate his eye-catching displays to championship-winning play.