THE FUTURE ISSUE
team the following day. McMahon made it a priority to steer Morant to Murray State that
summer. South Carolina’s Frank Martin was also interested in Morant, hoping he could
sway him to stay home, but Morant had committed to the Racers on his official visit.
“It was just like home, and everybody’s family down there,” he says. “That was one
of the reasons that I committed.”
If there’s one thing Tee knows about Ja, it’s that he’s never been one to duck smoke
on the court, as was evident against Marquette in the opening round of the NCAA
Tournament. It was Ja Morant versus Markus Howard, two of college basketball’s
premier playmakers, taking center stage.
Ja ruled the entire game, leading the 12-seeded Racers to an 83-64 upset win andfinishing with 17 points, 16 assists and 11
rebounds, becoming the eighth player in
NCAA history to finish with a triple-dou-
ble and first since Draymond Green in- His full repertoire was on display
no matter the defensive schemes the
Golden Eagles threw at him.
He scored or assisted on 55 points—
the most points created by a player in
the past 10 NCAA tournaments—and
his 16 dimes were second-most in the
tournament since UNLV’s Mark Wade’s
18 in ’87.
“Ja is fearless when it comes to com-
petition,” Tee says. “To come out of there
with a triple-double and the victory
wasn’t surprising to me.”
I
T’S A MONDAY afternoon
and Ja has walked into a
ballroom for his first-ever
SLAM cover shoot at the
Legacy Hotel on the campus
of IMG Academy. He comes
off coy until Lil Baby blares out the
speakers. He begins to recite lyrics while
posing for the photos you see on these
pages.
“Most of the top players get this,
so for me to have this opportunity to be
on it is an honor,” Ja says on making
his first cover. “It’s a check off my
bucket list.”
For the past two weeks, he’s been
doing his pre-draft training at IMG. He
also spent time in the gym with Allen
as the soon-to-be-rookie prepares to
begin his pro career. The most important
piece of advice the HOFer has passed
along beside shooting tips is maintaining
a healthy diet to sustain the rigors of an
82-game season.
Ja says hearing NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver call his name on draft night
hasn’t hit him yet, but he’s definitely
thought about it. When he does, he’ll
be one of two players to be selected
from South Carolina and first from a
mid-major since Derrick Rose (Memphis)
in 2008.
“I’m so proud of the kid,” Tee says,
envisioning the moment, while watching
Ja from afar. “He’s showing other kids
that with maximum effort, you can reach
your dream. It’d be evident when he goes
across the stage, and I’d be the proudest
father in the world.”
Whichever city Ja Morant ends up in,
there’ll be a spotlight. So he better get
used to it. S++++++++++++++++++++++++++