Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is gracefully working his way back into the national limelight.
Three days after Morant’s Nike Ja 2 sneaker made its debut, Nike basketball showcased a new commercial centered around Morant’s ability to handle adversity.
“When I’m hit, I always get back up,” Morant says at the start of the 100-second clip. “When no one is watching, I get up.”
In the video, Morant goes back to his roots of Dalzell, South Carolina while wearing a pair of purple Ja 2 sneakers.
Many of Morant’s closest friends, trainers and family members are featured in the video. His father, Tee Morant, also has a voiceover in the ad. He also talked about Ja Morant’s ability to handle adversity.
“Man, I kind of crafted for 12 to get knocked down,” Tee Morant said. “Even as a kid, I always had him playing against kids older than him just to see no matter how many times they knocked him down, man, you know he’s going to get back up.”
Nike basketball has called Ja Morant its first Gen Z signature sneaker athlete. Multiple suspensions and injuries limited Nike’s ability to market Morant over the past year, but the Grizzlies star is expected to be one of the company’s leading basketball faces in the future.
A signature of Morant’s story is his willingness to always highlight the people closest to him. This latest ad, with his mother, father, daughter, uncle, friends and South Carolina roots is the latest example.
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Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
