Ja Morant threw down what was easily one of the best dunks of the year over Jalen Smith during the Memphis Grizzlies' 130-112 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Morant added 23 points and 10 assists to extend the team's current win streak to nine games.
When asked whether the play was one of the best dunks of his career, Morant responded, "Yeah, easy," before referencing the difficulty. He added: "It's what everybody has been waiting for. I finally made it.''
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JANUARY 14: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies dunks the ball over Jalen Smith #25 of the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 14, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Morant's teammate, Desmond Bane added that he, "ain't seen nothing like that one. That's probably going to go down as dunk of the year.''
"Obviously we're having fun out there, playing hard and playing together," Bane further said.
Morant is currently in the midst of one of the best years of his short career. Following suit, he is gearing up for the release of his first signature shoe. The sneaker will make him the 23rd NBA athlete in history to receive his own signature sneaker with Nike.
Following Saturday's win, the Grizzlies improve to 29-13, tied with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in the Western Conference.
"We're not playing perfect basketball," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of the winning streak. "I'm just glad our guys are finding different ways to win, whether we're playing with a lead or playing from behind. Each game has presented a different challenge for us and our guys have stayed the course.''
The loss brings the Pacers down to 23-21 on the season.
Check out Ja Morant's ferocious dunk from Saturday night below.
About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.
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