Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, but he surprised a teammate with the trophy. Watch the awesome gesture here.

The 2020 second-round pick upped his points per game average from 9.2 as a rookie last year to 18.2 this year, one of the largest leaps in the entire league. Regardless, it's still an awesome gesture from the face of the Grizzlies franchise. Bane has continued his impressive sophomore campaign in the first round of the playoffs, leading the Grizz in points per game (23.3) while shooting 48.4% from the field and 48.7% from 3.

Morant found out the news from Grizzlies Head Coach Taylor Jenkins gets and the whole team during Monday's practice.

The icing on the cake? He averaged 27.4 points during the regular season and earned his first All-Star nomination as a starter. Morant is must-watch TV during the regular season, producing Highlight Reel Plays almost every night. “What is he doing? Morant earned 221 points, including 38-first place votes, to win the prestigious honor. He came home to the award sitting inside a box on his kitchen counter.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant won the NBA's Most Improved Player award, but he surprised a teammate with the trophy. Watch the awesome gesture here.

The 2020 second-round pick upped his points per game average from 9.2 as a rookie last year to 18.2 this year, one of the largest leaps in the entire league. Regardless, it's still an awesome gesture from the face of the Grizzlies franchise. Bane has continued his impressive sophomore campaign in the first round of the playoffs, leading the Grizz in points per game (23.3) while shooting 48.4% from the field and 48.7% from 3.

Morant is the first former Rookie of the Year (2020) and the first Memphis Grizzlies player to win MIP. Given this historic win for the high-flyer, we decided ...

National Basketball Association National Basketball Association Just download the Super 6 app and make your picks today! "Ja Morant took control of this award early in the season and was never really threatened after," FOX Bet Sports Trader Tieme Wesselink shared. Their odds to win the title currently stand at +1100. With the NBA playoffs heating up, the third post-season award has been announced!

Ja Morant provided some juice via a filthy one-handed dunk thrown down on top of Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley.

Morant tried a similar dunk to start the fourth quarter, but clanged it off the rim. At a time where the Memphis Grizzlies needed some juice, Ja Morant provided it via a filthy one-handed dunk thrown down on top of the Timberwolves' guard late in the third quarter of Game 5 on Tuesday at FedExForum. It was a very needed basket for the Grizzlies, who had been down by 13 in the final minute of the third quarter.

Much to the crowd and the internet's amusement, Usher and Tee Morant were shown on the Grizzlies' "Look-Alike" cam during a timeout break.

Ja Morant's father, Tee, made waves earlier in the series for his wager with Karl-Anthony Towns' father. Read More: Fathers of Morant and Towns trade friendly trash talk during Game 2 However, the attention from the bet had fans talking about more than what happened on the hardwood.

Malik Beasley is a brave man. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard didn't need to try to take a charge with Ja Morant barreling down the lane and loading up for ...

This play gave Memphis hope not only that they could come back in Game 5, but that Morant could be the superstar they need to advance in the playoffs. Play for the catch, keep the ball in front. The reality is that Morant badly needed that play to get both himself and his team going: after suffering a thigh contusion in Game 2, Morant had performed below his typical superstar standards, and had been having a quiet scoring night against a locked in Grizzlies defense. What an acrobatic finish for the win. Instead, Morant soared for a huge tomahawk slam that worked the FedEx Forum into a frenzy. If Beasley drew the charge, Morant would have his fourth foul, and Minnesota would get one more possession at the end of the third quarter.

Ja Morant gave NBA fans the dunk of the playoffs with this brutal full-extension dunk over Malik Beasley in the first round.

And here it is from multiple angles, just because. Looking to spark his team, Morant made one of the most absolutely brutal full-extension dunks we’ve ever seen. Tuesday night’s first round matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies was quite the chaotic affair.

Memphis' standout guard has struggled to score consistently in the playoffs as the Grizzlies seek to gain playoff momentum.

But Morant wouldn’t even be on the list of Grizzlies’ concerns if he and his teammates were playing at the level that got them the 56-26 record, second in the league only to Phoenix’s 64-18. Oh, that’s a factor too at the moment: Morant still has some pain in his left knee after missing 11 of the final 13 regular-season games. No one imagined Minnesota’s frenetic Patrick Beverley to hold any edge in the point-guard matchup in this series, other than maybe fouls and technicals. But he also led the playoffs after four games with 20 fouls, the management of which has had Jackson spending more time on the bench than on the floor (23.8 mpg). Said Morant: “It’s three-game series now, and we got an opportunity with two of them at home. I know a lot of people don’t like that, that I don’t have 30 every night.” in free throws but for how “poorly” the “arrogant” crew of game officials did its job. Jackson finished fifth for Kia Defensive Player of the Year after leading the NBA in blocked shots (2.3), and he’s doing fine there (3.0) in the series. “Only thing I can do after that is just make the right play. In these four games against Minnesota, he is at 20.5 ppg on 40% shooting (27.3% on 3-poitners). But the Wolves have managed to turn that smiley face upside down through four games, with Game 5 Tuesday ( 7:30 ET, TNT). Yeah, I’m not playing above the rim.

Ja Morant's father, Tee, has been in the headlines of the Grizzlies-Timberwolves opening round playoff series.

For entertainment purposes, let’s all hope for a seven-game series and another side-by-side of Tee Morant and Usher courtside. Despite their sons facing off in the playoffs, the two are good friends. Morant’s gone viral for looking virtually identical to music icon Usher. Seeing the two side-by-side just reaffirmed the doppelganger comparison.

Ja Morant has been a walking highlight reel this season and he added to his collection with the poster dunk of the playoffs so far against the Timberwolves.

Despite a slow first three quarters, Morant shifted his game into another gear after that dunk, erupting for 18 points in the fourth quarter. Morant had struggled to this point in the game but in an effort to wake himself up, the All-Star guard detonated on Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley to end the third quarter. The 22-year-old has been a walking highlight reel all season and he added to his collection of internet-breaking moments with the poster dunk of the playoffs so far in Game 5 against the Timberwolves.

'Just killed a man': NBA melts over epic dunk as Grizzlies star secures last-gasp victory.

The Atlanta Hawks have crashed out of the playoffs after a horror show from Trae Young, as the Miami Heat won 97-94 to book a spot in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Atlanta Hawks have crashed out of the playoffs after a horror show from Trae Young, as the Miami Heat won 97-94 to book a spot in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Memphis went on to outscore the Timberwolves 37-24 in the fourth to complete the epic comeback, with Morant scoring 30 points and grabbing 13 rebounds as well as 9 assists to almost secure a triple-double.

Morant's celebration began as Karl-Anthony Towns' final heave fell short, with the third-year guard holding his hand up like a phone, as if he had called game.

Memphis, up 3-2, can win the series on Friday in Minnesota. Morant admitted after Saturday's Game 4 loss that his right knee, for which he sat out nine games late in the regular season, was not 100%. Dillon Brooks' bouncing inbounds pass found Morant, who drove left and finished a layup over Jarred Vanderbilt with a second left.

After struggling to find his groove all series long, Ja Morant showed up big in Game 5, delivering a victory to his Grizzlies after knocking in a ...

As great as the win must have felt for Memphis, they can't afford to loosen up now. Still, this is a great sign for what's to come. And I think Ja's on the way to that. I don't want to gas him up too much since we're playing against him, but I think the sky's the limit for him. "He's a combination of players, I feel," Durant said, viaNick Friedell of ESPN. "I think the greatest players in our game can transform into anybody at any given point. As the NBA's Most Improved Player this year, everyone knows how good Morant has become.

Ja Morant scored 18 of his 30 points in the fourth and hit the winning layup in the final second as the Grizzlies prevailed in another thriller.

Morant missed his first three free throws of the game and had a relieved look on his face when making the fourth. Memphis left a lot of points at the free-throw line, though Morant made his final eight free throws in the fourth quarter. Minnesota's Patrick Beverley was dribbling near the Grizzlies bench when Morant reached and was called for a foul. Morant then answered by scoring a short floater over D'Angelo Russell on the next possession before doing the same gesture. Before the winning layup, Morant had been searching for a 3-pointer. The Grizzlies can clinch the first playoff series victory since 2015 in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis.

Ja Morant set the tone for the final quarter late in the third quarter, then shut the door on the Minnesota Timberwolves in Tuesday's Game 5 win.

Memphis trailed by 13 at the time of the dunk. Karl-Anthony Towns' heave missed the mark, and FedExForum let out a deafening roar. Watch Ja Morant game-winning layup for Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 vs.

Memphis is one win away from the second round, thanks to a fourth-quarter comeback.

And then Ja made a heck of a move and a heck of a finish." Asked to walk reporters through the possession that gave Memphis a 3-2 lead in the series, Morant kept it simple. This was a wild, back-and-forth game in which neither team was as sharp as it wanted it to be. The Grizzlies trailed by 11 points with about seven minutes left before going on a 19-7 run in less than six minutes, with a small lineup on the floor. Ja made a heck of a move to avoid [him] and the ball rattled in. "We were trying to just get Ja the ball at the top of the key with spacing, knowing that in three-point-whatever seconds, he was going to be able to make one, two dribbles and get to the rim.

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant turned in one of the most compelling closing performances in recent postseason history Tuesday night, fueling a fourth-quarter ...

His relentless attacks at the heart of a Minnesota defense that threw multiple bodies at him generated 10 attempts at the line in the quarter, and he converted nine of the 10. Clarke was asked what he told Morant in the celebratory moment. Fifteen seconds later on the ensuing possession, Morant answered with a floater over multiple defenders, then responded with his own "too small." Morant scored 18 points in the fourth quarter and ignited his team as the Grizzlies roared back to stage their second big comeback of the series. Morant averaged 20 points, 10.8 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 3.8 turnovers, with an unexceptional true shooting percentage of 50.4, in the first four games of the series. MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- After scuffling through a frustrating first three quarters, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant exploded with a vengeance Tuesday night in one of the most compelling closing performances in recent postseason history.

Ja Morant drove for the game-winner with 1 second left in Game 5 Tuesday, giving the Grizzlies a 111-109 victory and 3-2 series lead over the Timberwolves.

Seemingly trying to clear room for an inbound pass, Bane got a technical foul for pushing Timberwolves coach Chris Finch along the sideline: But Minnesota committed 22 turnovers and ceded offensive rebounds on about a third of its misses. Prior to Morant’s game-winner, Timberwolves wing Anthony Edwards (22 points) tied the game on a 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left:

Ja Morant scored 18 of his 30 points in the fourth and hit the winning layup in the final second as the Grizzlies prevailed in another thriller.

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address

Ja Morant was a human highlights reel even before he scored the game-winning basket for Memphis in Game 5 of their first round playoff series against the ...

SHEEEEESH 🤯🤯— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) @JaMorant pic.twitter.com/IjF8KOYdKp April 27, 2022 🤯 JA MORANT IS HIS NAME— NBA (@NBA) pic.twitter.com/p48bP7OfJY April 27, 2022 (📸: Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) pic.twitter.com/hSvUOEGlqu April 27, 2022 ja morant is something else— soby🔺🻠⛓ (@sobylife) April 27, 2022 Ja Morant is absolutely INCREDIBLE!— NBA (@NBA) #NBAPlayoffspresented by Google Pixel on TNT pic.twitter.com/4iK91DK29H April 27, 2022 OH MY GOOD GOD JA MORANT CLEAR THE RUNWAY OR DIE— Ja Morwob (@WorldWideWob) pic.twitter.com/rLNfte5jZH April 27, 2022

The way he cocked the ball all the way back and launched himself over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley. The way he pulled this out when Game 5 seemed ...

When Morant hit the game winner, when FedExForum's crowd erupted, he sauntered over to the TNT announcers’ table at midcourt. That's also the formula Memphis thrived with in the regular season. He scored 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. He produced under the scrutiny and stress that can consume young players. Bane started cackling during the postgame press conference when he heard the figure out loud. In 12 minutes, all that got put to the side. Finch noted the Grizzlies’ 18 offensive rebounds and Minnesota’s 23 turnovers gave Memphis 41 extra possessions. They've got a 3-2 series lead because after all the ways in which they’ve hardly resembled themselves over large portions of this matchup, one trait carried over from the regular season in spades: The way it changed the mood inside FedExForum from dread to delirious delight. A fourth quarter that, had it played out differently, would have led to some uncomfortable questions nobody saw coming this soon, from Jackson’s disappearing act to a roster without enough shooters to Morant’s durability. Therein lies the biggest difference between these two teams, never more so than after Memphis emerged Tuesday with a 111-109 win over the Timberwolves. It defined that fourth quarter.

Morant led the Grizzlies with 30 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists in Tuesday's 111-109 win.

Morant, who was named the NBA's most improved player on Monday, hit his layup with one second remaining to seal Memphis' comeback. Down by 11 early in the quarter, Morant led the rally by scoring 18 points in the final period. With the win, Memphis takes a 3-2 lead in their first-round series.

The Memphis star, with a ridiculous poster that could go down as the dunk of the postseason and a last-second layup, led the Grizzlies to a 111-109 win in Game ...

You can select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Click here to find out more about our partners. - Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant threw down the dunk of the year in Game 5 against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night. As the seconds ticked down in the third ...

Behind 30 points from Morant, which included a game-winning, circus layup on the final possession, Memphis took a 3–2 advantage over Minnesota in the opening round playoff series. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant threw down the dunk of the year in Game 5 against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Morant’s individual efforts translated to increased team success as Memphis won 18 more games this season compared to last year.

The Memphis guard defying gravity in the NBA playoffs got us thinking.

The dunk was the latest sign that Morant is a sneaker marketer’s dream. Is it solely on the name? Is it the shoes?

Ja Morant may have had the dunk of the year in the regular season, now he may have the dunk of the playoffs with his throw down over Beasley.

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz)April 27, 2022 — Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz)April 27, 2022 — Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz)April 27, 2022

Clear your schedule. Turn off your phone. Don't even think about reading or responding to an email. You won't be reachable at all today, because you are ...

It’s that he, while a million miles in the air and absorbing contact from the jamoke standing underneath him, still had the presence of mind and panache to cock the ball back and tomahawk it through the hoop, as if he was showing off in a practice gym. If there’s one thing you can count on Ja Morant to provide, it’s a commitment to moving as quickly and violently as possible, at all times. It’s not just that Morant exploded into the air and soared right through poor Malik Beasley that makes this dunk so memorable.

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies outlast the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5. Fouling and rebounds play key roles in the victory.

Game 6 is set for Friday. This has a fun first-round series that many did not expect to be very competitive. Furthermore, this series has three of the top-five free throw attempt games during the playoffs. This discrepancy did not stop the game from being competitive as the contest featured eight lead changes and four ties.

Morant amassed 30 points (9-22 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 11-17 FT), 13 rebounds, nine assists and three steals across 45 minutes during Tuesday's 111-109 victory over ...

- Grizzlies' Ja Morant: Near triple-double in win - Grizzlies' Ja Morant: Triple-double in comeback win Morant might have recorded more than 30 percent of his points from the charity stripe and the numbers might indicate this wasn't his best scoring performance, but he still ended one assist away from a triple-double and took over the game when the Grizzlies needed him the most.