Early in his NBA career, JaMorant has amassed a sizable hater base. That’s the price talented athletes must pay when making it to the big stage. And what about Morant’s awful news? The more successful you are in the NBA, the more detractors you will have.
Morant, on the other hand, seems unfazed by his detractors. In fact, he uses them as motivation to become the best basketball player he can be and prove them all wrong. The Memphis Grizzlies player inherited that murderous mindset from his first hater, Tee Morant, who also happens to be his best friend and father.
More facts about Tee Morant: Life And Times
Most basketball players don’t meet their first hater until they reach the NBA, and the spotlight shines on them for the first time, but Morant didn’t have that experience. Morant had to cope with a merciless hater in his own family when he was growing up in Dalzell, South Carolina. Ja’s father, Tee Morant, assisted him in his training as a youngster and throughout his adolescence. But the same while, he was giving his kid harsh love to prepare him for the next level.
Morant told reporters before the 2019 NBA Draft, “I enjoy negative energy.” “The argument that he hasn’t played against anyone, that he’s too little, that he can’t shoot.” I’m a sucker for negative vibes, and it motivates me. It doesn’t concern me since my father was my first hater, and if I can get it from him, I can get it from anyone.”
Instead of yielding to his father’s expectations as a youngster, Morant used his first hater as motivation to make it to the NBA. After doing so in 2019, he was named Rookie of the Year in 2020, and in his second season as a professional, he guided the Grizzlies to the playoffs. On the newest edition of Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Morant said, “I think his message when I won Rookie of the Year was, ‘Good work, you still stink.”
Ja Morant’s Best friend To Be His Father
The 21-year-old stated that his father used to dominate him on the basketball court, but he quit once Morant became talented enough to defeat him.
Morant stated, “He’s not going to play me anymore.” “The last time we played, I won. I hit the game-winning shot on him as we were playing a kids vs. adults game. After becoming a little bigger and more athletic, he never played me one-on-one.
“He bolted from the smoke.” professional in 2021.
Morant believes his father is “100%” one of his harshest detractors despite his early career’s success. Some may consider Tee’s parenting approach overly severe and detrimental to his son’s growth, but Morant praises his father for shaping him into the man and basketball player he is today. Morant might not have made it to the NBA if his first hater hadn’t continually scolded him as a kid.
Conclusion
Morant’s father still dislikes complimenting his son because he continuously teaches him that there is always room for improvement. But what if Morant leads the Grizzlies to the NBA championship? Would his father then finally take his foot off the gas?
Morant argues there’s no way. “He’d definitely get hyped up, and then he’d be like, ‘You still stink, but congrats.'”
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