»Ja Morant presents a gift to a little admirer whose autographed ball was stolen«
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After a young Memphis Grizzlies fan’s cherished basketball was stolen, Ja Morant intervened to alleviate her distress.
Ellie Hughes, an 11-year-old Grizzlies fan, was attempting to obtain an autograph from Morant during Monday’s game versus San Antonio when two individuals stole her unique ball.
Hughes, of Forrest City, Arkansas, had collected the signatures of players on the ball for the past six years.
Morant reached out to her family after learning of her situation on social media, invited her to Wednesday night’s rematch against the Spurs, and gave her his game-worn jersey and a pair of unreleased Ja 1 Nike shoes.
“It’s something I pretty much enjoy doing,” remarked Morant of his kind gesture. “You touch someone’s heart in such a way. An avid Grizzlies fan for many years. Such times are the most meaningful to them. Something they cannot forget.”
Morant also put on a display, scoring 38 points as the Grizzlies defeated the Spurs 135-129 for their season-best eighth consecutive win.
The star guard, who missed the previous two games due to right thigh pain, shot 14-of-25 from the field, including 3-of-5 from long range. With 3:35 remaining, he also had a right-handed hammer dunk over Spurs center Jakob Poeltl to help Memphis maintain its advantage.
»Ja Morant presents a gift to a little admirer whose autographed ball was stolen«