Fact Check: Will Ja Morant be on GTA 6’s Cover? Viral rumor debunked

Viral post alleges Ja Morant is on the cover of GTA 6

A viral post circulating on X (formerly Twitter) suggests that Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is featured on the upcoming cover of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6. The post contains an image of Morant, stylized in the GTA art form, depicted with a gun and wearing his Grizzlies jersey underneath a shirt.

This year, Ja Morant has been involved in two incidents where he publicly displayed a gun on social media. After the second occurrence, the NBA enforced a 25-game suspension on him.

User @HoopMixOnly on X shared the image and speculated that the guard would be featured on the cover of the action-adventure crime game.

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The photo used in the post originated from a May 20 post by Basketball Forever, which had the caption:

“Ja Morant in GTA 6 would go crazy.”

Although fans have found humor in the photo, it is not true that Morant would be on the cover of GTA 6.

Rockstar Games, the developer behind the GTA series, has not yet released any teasers, gameplay footage, or previews for the upcoming GTA 6 game.

However, they recently announced that the first trailer of the game would come in early December.

“We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto,” the developers stated.

When will Ja Morant return?

Ja Morant is eligible to return to the court on Dec. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans in New Orleans. He can play his first home game this season on Dec. 21 against the Indiana Pacers.

Without Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies have stumbled into a 1-6 record, the worst in the NBA. Their opponents are outscoring them by 6.7 ppg.

Desmond Bane has emerged as an effective primary option for the team, putting up averages of 26.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 4.0 apg while shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc in 9.6 3-point attempts per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. has also been a valuable contributor, averaging 21.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 2.3 bpg.

However, the team is missing Morant’s dynamic scoring and playmaking. Morant, who earned an All-Star nod last year, averaged 26.2 ppg, 8.1 apg and 5.9 rpg. Newly acquired guard Marcus Smart is far from achieving Morant’s numbers, currently averaging 14.0 ppg, 5.4 apg and 2.7 spg.