The Memphis Grizzlies star PG Ja Morant has proven to be one of the best talents in all of the NBA. While he’s not on the elite level as of yet, he’s well respected throughout the league. Last season, he recorded 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game, according to ESPN Stats. However, many believe he’s been a bit full of himself this offseason. Last week, he addressed and referred to himself as the “Black Jesus” at a local restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to this moment, the only person who’s ever been addressed as “Black Jesus” is what many consider the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time) Michael Jordan.
Ja Morant tipped a waitress $500 and her reaction was priceless.
“I’m Black Jesus.” 💀💀💀
(via @JaMorant, @shotbynie) pic.twitter.com/EPldPPamdL
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 5, 2022
He later went on an interview with Bleacher Report reporter Taylor Rooks and spoke extremely high of himself. In fact, during the interview, Morant stated he’d “cook” Jordan while at his peak.
“I would’ve cooked him,” Morant flatly told Rooks. “I wish I played in his generation. Just how he would go about the game, and the mindset he had, I would’ve liked to play against him.
“Nobody got more confidence than 12,” he added. “I’ll never say somebody’s going to beat me one-on-one. I don’t care [who] it is, or what sport. I want to be the goalie against [Lionel] Messi. Set it up, I’m confident.”
Ja Morant addresses his real estate tweet after the Warriors won the NBA Finals 👀@Jamorant was live with @taylorrooks in the B/R App. Catch the full interview https://t.co/o0QiZ4T0cn pic.twitter.com/fsb3V4LWny
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 11, 2022
Ja Morant Confidence is Turning Into Delusion
Naturally, the following morning every sports station discussed how in shock they were of Morant’s confidence. While many applauded and admired his confidence they also clarified that he would get absolutely annihilated in a one-on-one with Jordan. FS1 reporter Chris Broussard went into great detail yesterday morning about why this confidence is misplaced and utterly wrong.
“I love the mentality,” Broussard said on “First Things First.””This mindset takes you from Murray State to the All-Star Game.””But there’s absolutely no chance Ja would have outperformed Jordan.”
“But there’s no way, no way would Ja have cooked Jordan. Now, could Ja have scored on Jordan? Sure. Could he have crossed him up like Allen Iverson famously did? Sure. But who would’ve gotten the best of who? Jordan would’ve gotten the best of Ja. He’s 6-foot-6. Ja is 6-foot-3. And to go along with that height advantage, he’s just as athletic as Ja, if not more.”
Is Ja Morant right that he "would have cooked” Jordan 1-on-1?
"I love the mentality — this is the mentality that allows you to go from Murray State to the All-Star Game. But there's no way, no way would Ja have cooked Jordan."
— @Chris_Broussard explains: pic.twitter.com/NjpCWpQkya
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 11, 2022
Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant is ill-informed or just high off his own legacy if he believes he can compete with Jordan. At their peaks, Jordan played all 82 games in two of his first three seasons, Morant hasn’t done that yet. Each won ROTY (rookie of the year), First-Team All-Rookie, and Second-Team All-NBA on their resume going into year 4.
These two are phenomenally gifted athletes; however, there are levels to greatness and Morant has far to go before even being mentioned with Jordan.
