Ja Morant is the 2019 Memphis Sports Person of the Year

David Cobb | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Show Caption Hide Caption Ja Morant is back from injury and back to looking like the NBA's best rookie Ja Morant is not sure if it's a sign of respect or disrespect that opposing teams keep daring him to shoot in the pick-and-roll.

The last hope for the continuation of a famed era in Memphis Grizzlies basketball unraveled a year ago with a stretch of 17 losses in 19 games that took the team from 18-16 the day after Christmas to 20-33 on Feb. 1.

Losing became so rampant and the roster so noncompetitive that the front office began listening to trade offers for franchise pillars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol in an attempt to salvage a future.

That future was just 165 miles away from FedExForum, as it turned out.

Its name was Ja Morant.

Morant leads all rookies in points and assists per game, is among the NBA's top fourth quarter scorers and is the clear favorite for NBA rookie of the year less than halfway through his first season in the league.

Above all, he is restoring hope to a franchise and embracing a city that is thirsting for a new era of NBA playoff contention.

That's why Morant is the 2019 Memphis Sports Person of the Year.

"It definitely fit my family," Morant said of Memphis. "It reminds me so much of back home for us."

Morant is from rural South Carolina and played college basketball at Murray State, less than a three-hour drive from Memphis.

He was an overlooked high school prospect built through backyard drills that forged a blue-collar identity which makes him a natural fit with the blue-collar city where he now plays.

Memphis is small enough that Morant and his family can have the best of both worlds. They found a house in Eads that brings a familiar country living experience while also allowing them to be just 30 minutes from FedExForum.

"That's just us," Morant said. "It was more just staying out of the way of Downtown and being somewhere we could have peace and quiet. Me and my family don't do too much. All of us are laid back."

But Morant has a mean streak on the court.

He has dazzled Memphis and attracted attention from around the country with steady stream of highlights.

He's also invested in the community.

For his 20th birthday, Morant helped raise money for The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, then he took students from the organization on a shopping spree at a local sporting goods store.

"I can see he is becoming part of the city," said Mehdi Sadeghi, a Grizzlies season ticket holder since the team's move from Vancouver. "There's no doubt about his talent, but I think with what he's doing, he's adding to the humanity. I think he'll be a perfect fit for the city."

Sadeghi and his daughter, Sheila, won the fifth day of Morant's "#12DaysOfChristmas" challenge.

The challenge called for Grizzlies fans to submit photos of themselves on Twitter showing their fandom for a chance to win an autographed pair of Morant's basketball shoes.

"It's making somebody's day," Morant said. "You never know what somebody is going through, what they’re getting on Christmas. To my fans, people who appreciate me, I appreciate them. It’s just a way for me to give back.”

Sadeghi's winning entry showed his daughter at Grizzlies games over the years, starting when she was young and ending with a recent picture of the Collierville High School freshman at a game with her father.

The collage's timeline followed the evolution of the franchise from the beginning of the "core four" era with its famed "grit and grind" style built around Conley, Gasol, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph to the start of a new era centered around Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and an up-tempo pace.

Last season's collapse made the transition inevitable. But as the Grizzlies slid from playoff contender to lottery team, the vision for how the franchise would rebuild remained unclear.

But less than three hours away, Morant was cementing himself near the top of the NBA draft boards by leading Murray State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament during a spectacular sophomore season.

A stroke of draft lottery luck earned the Grizzlies the No. 2 overall pick and the chance to select Morant.

The Grizzlies refused to complicate an obvious decision. They drafted Morant, and he's validated their decision with how he's played for the city on the court and how he's embraced it off the court.

"I love it," Morant said. "They just show a lot of love. I'm able to do what I want to do. If I want to go out, I have no problems. I'm comfortable. I'm loving it here."

Reach Grizzlies beat writer David Cobb at david.cobb@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @DavidWCobb.

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