Rumours of a trade involving Ja Morant began circulating shortly after the Grizzlies’ April season concluded, and they had nothing to do with the team or his performance.
In an effort to lure the star away from a city that other NBA players don’t see as a desirable place to play, national media outlets stoked the flames.
Ja Morant dispelled such perception when he said that he will be in the 901 (Memphis area code) in response to Stephen A. Smith’s comments regarding the city during their June trade discussion.
Following this, the mayor of Memphis sent an invitation to Smith to visit the city and address its concerns; Smith graciously accepted.
In an interview with The Young Man and the Three podcast, Desmond Bane—a former Grizzlies standout who was just traded around that time—also defended the city.
Another star on the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr., has repeatedly said he will be loyal to the city and wasted no time negotiating and signing a five-year agreement as soon as free agency started.
The newest player to publicly declare his loyalty to Memphis is last year’s first team All-Rookie and starting centre for the Grizzlies.
Stitched onto Zach Edey’s arm is not only the Grizzlies’ emblem, but also the city’s historic bridge, which serves as a boundary between Tennessee and Arkansas.
At the time of the ink’s placement, he was at least the second active Grizzlies player to have the team’s emblem tattooed.
Who was the other Grizzlies player? As of 2023, Ja Morant is one of at least two active Grizzlies who have shown enough devotion to the franchise and the city to acquire a tattoo of the team’s emblem.
That may just a little something to convey how much the present players value their time with the team and the city, but it goes a long way.
There has been a rare case of players who have played for the team that hasn’t had anything good to say about it. Memphis isn’t a glamorous destination as one of, if not the smallest, markets in the NBA.
However, the city shows love to those who return the favor, and Zach Edey will forever remain in the good graces of the city after his recent tattoo addition.
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