Ja Morant is a confident dude. So confident, in fact, that he likes his chances against the NBA's GOAT.
In a conversation with Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks, the Grizzlies star paid respect to Michael Jordan, thanking him for his contributions to the game and crediting him for being the reason many want to play basketball. Morant then said he wished he had played in Jordan's era and, well, would've "cooked" the Bulls legend.
If that wasn't enough, Morant also issued a challenge to soccer superstar Lionel Messi.
"Just how he go about the game, just that mindset he had," Morant responded when asked why he would've liked to have played in Jordan's generation. "I would've liked to play against him.
"I would've cooked him too. Nobody got more confidence than 12. I'm never going to say nobody going to beat me on one-on-one on anything. I don't care what it is, what sport it is.
"Soccer — who the best player in soccer? Messi? I want to be the goalie. Matter of fact, someone set it up, man."
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"I would've cooked him too" 😂@JaMorant is confident he would've beat Michael Jordan in his era pic.twitter.com/TEKJtcgqJC
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 10, 2022
While Morant was clearly having fun, there is a reason he's as high on himself as he is. He's coming off of a season in which he averaged a career-best 27.4 points to go along with 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds. He was named the league's Most Improved Player and earned both the first All-Star and first All-NBA selection of his career.
Just three years removed from being selected with the No. 2 pick in the draft, Morant has established himself as one of the NBA's most electrifying talents.
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Does that mean he would've "cooked" prime Jordan, a man whose resume includes six championships, 10 scoring titles, five MVP awards and one Defensive Player of the Year award? Of course not, but you have to respect how confident and fearless he is.
