"I'm your son... You know the answer": Ja Morant's message to his mother before game-winning return revealed
Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Ja Morant made his return to action after a lengthy league-imposed suspension on Tuesday. He did it while also in constant communication with his mother.
The Grizzlies star had a stellar return game on the road by draining the buzzer-beating bucket to thrust his team to the 115-113 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. It was on top of the 34 points he poured in as well as eight assists to lead Memphis to the come-from-behind victory.
On social media, it was revealed that before the game and after, Ja Morant communicated with his mother Jamie.
The conversation had his mom encouraging him to have a great return game. She then asked her son “You ready?” To which the two-time NBA All-Star responded:
“I’m your son … You know the answer.”
Following the game, Morant reached out to his mother once again, where he was celebrated by Jamie for the spectacular performance he had:
The New Orleans game was Morant’s first game back after serving his 25-game suspension for repeatedly brandishing firearms on social media last season.
Now with Morant back in harness, the Grizzlies are looking to compete better and improve on their 7-19 record. They next play on Thursday against the Indiana Pacers at home.
Morant excited to be back playing competitively
Out of competition for a good part of this year, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is happy and excited to rejoin his team and battle in the ongoing NBA season.
The 24-year-old All-Star out of Murray State was suspended by the league for 25 games for repeatedly displaying firearms on social media.
He marked his return in their game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, and made it a memorable return as he finished with 34 points in leading the Grizzlies to the 115-113 come-from-behind victory. He also drained the game-winning basket as time expired.
Following their victory, Morant shared the lessons he learned while away from the game, telling TNT in a postgame interview:
"I'm a dog. I'm a dog, I put work in. I've been putting work in. I ain't played a game in eight months, had a lot of time to learn, myself. Lot of hard days where I went through it.
"Basketball is my life, what I love. Therapeutic for me. I'm just excited to be back."
The Grizzlies struggled greatly without their best player, losing 19 of their first 25 games, including their last five matches before their win over the Pelicans.
In his absence, Desmond Bane (24.6 points) and Jaren Jackson Jr. (21.4 points) were leading the charge.