Ja Morant's time with the Memphis Grizzlies has officially come to an end. This is after the team traded the two-time All-Star to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
Morant's tumultuous time in Memphis comes to a close after seven years. He now bids farewell to the same franchise that selected him No. 2 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Despite how Morant's relationship with the Grizzlies may have deteriorated over the past few years, there's no denying that he loved both the team and the city. A testament to this fact is how the former NBA Rookie of the Year got a tattoo of the Grizzlies logo on his back some years ago.
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In an interview earlier this season, Morant himself stated that the tattoo is a symbol of his unwavering loyalty to Memphis.
“Everybody in here who knows me, knows I’m a very loyal guy," he said. "I got a logo on my back, and that should tell you where I want to be.”
That same tattoo is now trending on social media after it was posted by an NBA Memes account on Instagram. The post, which as of this writing has already amassed 30,000 likes and over 300 comments, argued that Morant will need to cover his tattoo up now that he's parted ways with the Grizzlies.
The majority fans, however, believe that this is not necessary.
"It’s the team who drafted him. It’ll forever be that 🤷🏽♂️" a reaction on Instagram read.
"Not necessarily. It definitely still holds sentimental value. That team changed his life tf !" said another.
"Na he can keep it they the first team that took a chance on him," a user wrote.
"It’s still part of his story dawg they ain’t breakup lol," a comment read.
"Nah that’s where it started why would he cover it," another said.
"Can't forget where u came from," declared a fan.
Morant now gets a fresh start in Portland. He will move forward with the objective of putting his past behind him. The former Most Improved Player winner is also set out to prove that he still belongs in the upper echelon of superstars in the NBA.
Morant, however, will need to get healthy first. He is currently recovering from a season-ending UCL sprain in his left elbow, which prematurely ended his final year in Memphis after just 20 games.
When healthy, though, Morant is still a very explosive threat on the floor. The 6-foot-2 guard holds career averages of 22.4 points on 46.6% shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
