Pic: Ja Morant pays tribute to sister Niya Morant with latest Nike "Ja 2s"
Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant paid tribute to his younger sister Niya Morant in the latest iteration of his signature "Ja 2" Nike sneakers, which he showcased in their home game against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
The shoe, which features shades of green, white and gray and red swoosh, had the name of Niya written on the back. Morant took to Instagram to show love to his sister, writing:
"Lil one @niyomorant"
Check out a screenshot of his post:
The Ja 2 features a second-generation silhouette that provides comfort and support for better performance on the court. It has an Air zoom unit at the forefront to deliver extra bounce and seamless shifts while a molded midfoot panel provides added lockdown responsiveness. A underfoot traction allows one to cut with confidence.
A sidewall quadrail, meanwhile, is designed to provide protection and stability while the shoe's ballistic mesh improves breathability.
Like his older brother Ja Morant, Niya is also into basketball and is a freshman at Mississippi Valley State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. They are to start their campaign on Nov. 5 against Memphis.
Ja Morant struggles on offense against the Brooklyn Nets
As he rocked the "Ja 2" Nike sneakers in honor of his younger sister on Wednesday, Ja Morant found the going tough on offense against the Brooklyn Nets and saw his Memphis Grizzlies slump to the 119-106 defeat.
The 2020 NBA rookie of the year went 5-of-16 and 1-of-6 from deep to finish with 14 points. He, however, had 10 assists and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
Memphis kept in step with the Nets for the first three quarters before Brooklyn started to create distance in the fourth quarter and the Grizzlies never recovered after.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led the scoring for the Grizzlies, finishing with 30 points. Rookie Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke each had 13 points while Desmond Bane added 10.
For the Nets, it was Denis Schroder who showed the way with 33 points to go along with eight assists. Cam Thomas, meanwhile, had 19 while Ziaire Williams came off the bench to score 17 points.
The defeat was the second straight for the Grizzlies, who dropped to a 2-3 record. They next play on Thursday in another home game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
This season, Ja Morant is looking to play in more games and help Memphis better compete after he was limited to just nine games last season. He missed the team's first 25 games, suspended for flashing a gun on a friend's Instagram account late in the previous season. After playing nine games, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in practice.
Last campaign, Morant had averages of 25.1 pointrs, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in 35.3 minutes per game.