From Murray State University Athletics:
The magic moment had everything for Ja Morant, his family and recently born daughter and an adoring packed house at the CFSB Center where he and the racers put a charge into Murray State Basketball from 2017-19.
On Saturday (Feb. 1), the Racers hosted the SIUE Cougars and at halftime, Morant’s No. 12 jersey was retired and hung from the rafters in the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
Morant is having a tremendous rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies and came back to MSU Saturday to become the 11th former Racer to have a number retired and the first since Isaiah Canaan’s No. 3 was retired in 2018.
“This is a celebration for the entire Morant family,” MSU Head Coach Matt McMahon said during the ceremony. “To his parents, Tee and Jamie, thank you for trusting us with the opportunity to coach your son. I thank you for your example of parenting and the true meaning of family. To Ja, I’m going to speak for everyone here at Murray State. When you were drafted number two in the NBA Draft, it was a dream come true for all of us. I know everyone of us in here, can’t contain the excitement of the fact that, for the next two decades, we’ll be watching you play 80 to 100 nights a year. We thank you for everything you have done for Murray State and everything you will continue to do.”
Once Coach McMahon handed the microphone to Ja Morant, the packed house of 7,512 started chanting “MVP, MVP, MVP!”
“It’s a very special night,” Morant said. “I love everybody in this arena right now, I am thankful for you guys on this sideline (the current team & past team) I am thankful for my coaches. I want to thank my parents for pushing me. I think you all know what I had to go through to get to this point. They didn’t allow me to quit. I still live by some things they both told me. My Mom always said that I am beneath no one and my Dad always told me that I am trained to go. Every step I take, I live by that. I am very excited to have my number up there.”
Murray State University photo.