Ja Morant discovered his international fame. He taught China a few things, too.
Ja Morant (center, back) meets players from Nike’s Rise Academy in Shenzen, China. (Jnie Williams/Catch12 Media)
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was walking off the court in ShenZen, China, when his Nike basketball representative, Diego Garcia, stopped him.
“Bro, you don’t even know what you just did,” Garcia told Morant in July. “They’ll love you forever.’”
Instead of exiting nonchalantly, the point guard paused and looked up at thousands of Chinese fans and young players. He bowed to the crowd and made a heart with his hands.
As Morant did so, the entire audience made the same gesture back.
“Forget the language barrier,” one of Morant’s trainers, Trey Draper, said of the moment. “Everyone knew what that meant.”
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Drew Hill
Drew Hill covers the Memphis Grizzlies and is a top-10 APSE winner. He has worked throughout the South writing about college athletics before landing in Memphis.
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