Murray State University Athletics
Racer Nation & Ja Morant Enjoy Murray State Night With Memphis Grizzlies
1/19/2020 1:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Racer Nation turned out in a big way Friday (Jan. 17) when the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies staged Murray State University Night at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
The star of the day was former Racer, Ja Morant, who played 65 total games for Murray State in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. With a tendency for the spectacular highlight plays and ability to make his teammates better, Morant's meteoric rise in his second season led him to declare for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.
Friday night, a crowd of 1,200 or more Murray State fans made the trek to see Morant play again. During the two hours leading up to tip time, Morant mingled with MSU f
ans who showered him with cheers and social media posts.
Of course, with it being MSU Night and all, Morant had to be great right? Well he was and made a few highlight reel plays that pushed the Memphis Grizzlies to seven-straight wins with a 113-109 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Morant had 16 points, five rebounds and eight assists.
After the game, Morant described the event an emotional day for him to see that many Murray State fans come out to see him.
"That just describes Racer Nation," Morant stated. "They have shown a lot of support to me since day one and I am thankful for them. It's always Racer Nation. After home games, I was out there taking pictures and just getting to know them. That (Murray State) was my home and I love it."
In his first season in the NBA, Morant has put himself at the top of the conversation for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He was invited to the NBA Dunk Contest, but declined. Morant is 36 games into his professional career and is looking as comfortable as ever with the speed of play as he did at Murray State. He is scoring 17.9 points per game and averaging 7.0 assists. He leads all NBA rookies in each category.
.@JaMorant thanks Racer Nation & the city of Memphis for a special night. #GrzNxtGen pic.twitter.com/BPTJdrql4Z
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 18, 2020
12 put on a show for Murray State Night.
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 18, 2020
16 points | 8 assists | 5 rebounds | 3 steals @jamorant | #GrzNxtGen pic.twitter.com/34WGewMkZU
