Ja Morant’s sister Teniya went on quite a tirade against critics and doubters after the Memphis Grizzlies guard made an impactful return for the side following the conclusion of his 25-game suspension. Morant poured 34 points, six rebounds, and eight assists as the Grizzlies notched up a 115-113 win over the New Orleans Pelicans to snap their four-game winning streak. His stellar performance included a game-winning shot that had LA Lakers superstar LeBron James floored.
Teniya, on her part, took to social media and called out fans and analysts who had earlier doled out scathing criticism against the 24-year-old guard.
“It’s him y’all, he’s him. It’s the 12-time baby. Nothing else, 12 time n***a! C’mon, c’mon! I waited on this day, this long. Just so that I could come over here and tell y’all that he’s him,” Teniya said in a video.
Memphis trailed by the end of the first half but made a big-time comeback with Ja Morant at the helm. He went off in the clutch and made it a memorable game by capping off his dominant evening with a game-winning layup.
Ja Morant and Memphis Grizzlies still have work to do
With 19 losses in 27 games, the Memphis Grizzlies are just above the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs. With Ja Morant back in the fold, and hopefully healthy and controversy-free for the remainder of the season, the Grizzlies can look to make a comeback.
With over 50 games left in the season, a series of wins will see them make their case for the playoffs. Head coach Taylor Jenkins made Morant’s intentions pretty clear, saying (via ESPN):
“He’s fired up. He’s been putting in a lot of work since the start of the season, been around the team as much as he could. Now he gets this opportunity here at Game 26. Super excited to see him go out there and just have fun. That’s what he and I have talked about. It’s putting in a lot of work, going out there, having fun, building chemistry with your teammates, and just enjoying this opportunity to be back on the floor.”
Last season, Morant led the Grizzlies to the Western Conference playoffs but the team lost to the LA Lakers. This time around, the franchise was 6-19 without their star playmaker, who was suspended by the league after flashing a firearm in an Instagram Live video in May, weeks after the team’s elimination from the playoffs.
Ja Morant and the Grizzlies next play the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, followed by a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
