From the moment Ja Morant emerged as a top NBA Draft prospect in 2019, he made it a point to share the spotlight with his family.
Morant, a mid-major gem from Murray State, went from a relative unknown to the No. 2 overall pick and Rookie of the Year. When he heard his name called by Commissioner Adam Silver on draft night, it was clear the moment was especially meaningful for him and his father, Tee.
"I don't want to get too emotional up here but I just want to thank him for everything he's done for me," Ja Morant said of his dad. "He made me who I am today and I'm just thankful for it all."
In the four years since, Morant has continued his rise to the brink of superstardom, picking up All-Star and All-NBA nods while becoming one of the league's most electrifying players. And when Morant makes a highlight, his father is never too far away, almost always cheering his son on from courtside seats.
Who is Tee Morant? Learn more about the All-Star's father, who enjoyed a basketball career of his own.
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Who is Tee Morant?
Tee Morant is the father of Ja Morant.
The elder Morant is also rooted in South Carolina. Known as Ronnie at the time, he attended Hillcrest High School in Dalzell, S.C., playing alongside Hall of Famer Ray Allen and winning a South Carolina State Championship in 1993.
Morant would go on to play basketball collegiately at Claflin University, an HBCU in Orangeburg, S.C. that competed at the NAIA level until moving up to NCAA's Division II in 2005. Morant's mother, Jamie Morant, played softball at Claflin.
Tee Morant graduated from Claflin in 1998 and, while he had aspirations to play professionally, he decided to focus on family after Ja was born in 1999. After the birth of Ja, Tee Morant worked as a barber in the Sumter, S.C. area.
As Ja got older, Tee began to train his son, helping him hone his skills.
"Once he told me that he loved it and showed me that he loved it, I wanted to pump everything in me inside of him so he can reach the highest point," Tee said of his role in developing his son.
Tee and Jamie also have a daughter, Teniya, who is a freshman point guard at HBCU Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Miss.
Tee Morant's courtside presence
As Ja Morant's star has grown, so has his father's.
A mainstay at Grizzlies games, Tee Morant was the subject of plenty of attention during Memphis' first-round series with Minnesota in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. In addition to a friendly wager with Karl Towns Sr., Tee Morant also gained notoriety for his resemblance to music icon Usher.
While seated courtside, Morant has been seen exchanging pleasantries and friendly barbs with fans and players of other teams, including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James among many others.
Tee Morant's courtside presence is leaguewide, as he's been seated courtside across the country, from the FedEx Forum in Memphis to State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the Target Center in Minneapolis and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
It was in Los Angeles where things took a turn for the worst, as Tee Morant became engaged in an escalating war of words with Pro Football Hall of Famer and TV personality Shannon Sharpe.
The confrontation, which caused arena and team security to intervene, eventually blew over and the two were shown laughing things off postgame. Tee Morant was also seated next to his son's friend, Davonte Pack, when Pack was ejected — and later handed a year-long suspension — for a verbal confrontation with members of the Pacers.
When Ja Morant returned from an eight-game suspension in March, his father sported a hoodie that featured a picture of the two along with the word "redemption," stylized in all capital letters.
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What did Tee Morant say about Ja Morant's suspension?
As Tee Morant wore the "redemption" hoodie, his son returned to the floor to resume his All-Star level play.
After the Grizzlies were eliminated by the Lakers in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Ja Morant again faced trouble after he was seen brandishing a firearm on a video streamed to Instagram Live.
Upon review of the incident by the league office, Morant was handed a 25-game suspension as it was the second time he brandished a firearm on social media in a three-month span.
While speaking at a basketball camp in New Orleans over the summer, Tee Morant had this to say:
Speaking for my son — make sure anytime y'all are anywhere, know the capabilities of everybody around you. My son didn't get in trouble for the people around him, he got in trouble for his decisions. So, always be mindful of every decision y'all make because it could pretty much take over you, it can consume you and make you think that you are who you're not.
Anytime y'all are anywhere … just think everything is magnified. The smallest thing you can do can make the biggest difference in your life.
Ja Morant is eligible to return to play on Dec. 19, 2023, when the Grizzlies visit the Pelicans. It will be Memphis' 26th game of the 2023-24 regular season. That includes the two additional In-Season Tournament games the Grizzlies will play following the group stage.
