Ja Morant is currently hosting his annual youth camp and has been seen interacting with kids in basketball activities, even though he’s still awaiting the Grizzlies medical staff to give him full clearance from his right shoulder surgery. Back in January, the superstar suffered a labral tear after playing just nine games last season.
According to nearby sources, the point guard is expected to be cleared in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, however, the Memphis player has expressed his frustration over so many months outside of the courts.
“I hate being around basketball and not being able to play,” Morant expressed when asked about his emotional state at his camp. “I don’t got too much longer. I can wait to make sure I’m able to play and be cleared when the season comes.”
After completing a 25-game suspension given by the NBA at the beginning of last season, he finally returned to the big stage by the start of December, when his team were 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.
Nevertheless, just days later, Morant was declared out for the season with a torn labrum. Once the news broke out that Ja’s injury was more serious than initially thought of, Phoenix’s Kevin Durant delivered some word of encouragement for him.
“Like I’ve been saying, regardless of how you feel, (there was) days I didn’t want to come into the gym, there’s days I was feeling sorry for myself and didn’t believe in myself. But you still gotta go to work and get the rehab in,” said the Suns superstar. “I think Ja has a great mentality, he’s been working hard his whole life to get where he is. I’m sure he’ll bounce back.”
As he was hosting his camp this weekend, the 24-year-old was also asked about the upcoming NBA Draft, in which Memphis is set to receive the 9th pick of the first round. “I’m excited to see what happens,” Morant shared. “I know the internet is probably going to be going crazy, so I’m probably about to turn mine off.”
Ja Morant’s basketball camp proves he’s still popular with the younger generations as approximately 650 kids showed up
Despite his overall indiscipline and incidents with guns, which have kept him off the NBA courts through a couple of long-term suspensions, Morant’s annual youth basketball camps prove that he’s still popular within the younger generations.
Approximately 650 kids showed up this past Saturday, which to put that in perspective, his turnout almost doubled Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, who had 325 kids show up earlier this month. “A camp like this, the turnout made it better to show how much support I still have and people are still fans of me,” he said. “It’s just one of those moments where you kind of look at yourself and be proud.”
Ja Morant Camp〽️ pic.twitter.com/HQwmvmKguR
— Let Me Be Your Movie Guy🍿🎬 (@BoydShotImages) June 22, 2024
Also, the numbers speak for themselves. The interest in his jerseys remain high as they ranked 11th in the NBA sales after playing only nine contests this past campaign. The same goes for his sneakers, as an abundance of kids wore the Ja 1 shoes on Saturday.
Throughout the program, the Grizzlies star told the young athletes about what it is like to play in NBA games, as well as imparting overall experience about the basketball world. “I’ve signed autographs and took pictures before, but it’s nothing like what my AAU team experience has brought to my life,” Morant shared.
