Ja Morant is currently holding his annual youth camp and has been spotted hanging out with kids at basketball games, though he's still waiting on the Grizzlies' medical staff to give him the all-clear to undergo surgery on his right shoulder. Back in January, the star broke down in tears after playing just nine games last season.
According to close sources, the point guard is expected to be removed in the next few weeks. For now, though, the Memphis player has been venting his frustrations for months outside the courts.
“I hate being around basketball and not being able to play,” Morant said when asked about his emotional state at camp. “I don't have much time left. I can wait to make sure I can play and be comfortable when the season comes.”
After serving a 25-game suspension handed down by the NBA at the start of last season, he finally returned to the big leagues in early December, when his team was just 4-13. A month later, they had just beaten the Los Angeles Lakers on January 5th and had improved their record to 12-23.
However, a few days later, Morant was announced to sit out the season with a torn labrum. When news broke that Ja's injury was more serious than first thought, Phoenix's Kevin Durant offered words of encouragement.
“Like I've been saying, no matter how you feel, (there were) days I didn't want to go to the gym, there were days I regretted it and didn't believe in myself. But you still have to go to work to get rehab,” said the Suns star. “I think Ja has a good mind, he has worked hard all his life to get where he is. I'm sure he'll bounce back.”
While holding his camp this weekend, the 24-year-old was also asked about the upcoming NBA Draft, where Memphis is slated to receive the 9th pick in the first round. “I'm excited to see what happens,” Morant said. “I know the internet is probably going to go crazy, so I'm probably going to shut mine down.”
Ja Morant's basketball camp proves that he is still popular with the younger generations as about 650 kids showed up.
Despite his indiscretions and shooting incidents, which kept him away from the NBA courts with his lengthy suspension, Morant's annual youth basketball camps prove that he is still popular with the younger generations.
About 650 kids showed up this past Saturday, and to put that in perspective, his number of winners is almost double that of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who had 325 kids earlier this month. “A camp like this, the influx of people made it better for me to show how much I support and people are still my fans,” he said. “It's one of those moments where you look back and you're proud.”
Ja Morant Camp〽️ pic.twitter.com/HQwmvmKguR
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Again, the numbers speak for themselves. Interest in his jerseys remains high as he ranks 11th in NBA sales after playing just nine games this past campaign. The same goes for his sneakers, as dozens of kids wore Ja 1 shoes on Saturday.
Throughout the show, the Grizzlies star talked to the young athletes about what it's like to play in NBA games, as well as giving them information about the world of basketball. “I've signed autographs and taken pictures before, but it's nothing like what I experienced on my AAU team that brought me into my life,” Morant said.
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