"A step in the right direction" - Ja Morant receives praise from NBA fans for donating shoes to several college athletic programs

Ja Morant made a generous move ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season by giving several college athletic programs shoes. In partnership with Nike, Morant gifted four universities his signature Ja 1's. The Memphis Grizzlies star received praise from NBA fans online.

According to Damichael Cole of The Commercial Appeal, Morant sent Memphis, Murray State, Radford and Mississippi Valley State his Ja 1 signature shoes. The Grizzlies and the Tigers share the same city, while Morant is a product of Murray State.

Morant's sister, Niya Morant, is an incoming freshman at Mississippi Valley State. As for his connection with Radford, their coach is a former Murray State assistant Shane Nichols, who helped the young NBA superstar develop his game.

Ja Morant, who will serve a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 NBA season, has a tall task of repairing his image.

Morant has caused so much controversy last season that seeing him do things in a positive light is a welcome change. He even got praised by fans online who were some of his toughest critics in the past year.

One fan said:

"That's great to hear! I hope Ja has matured over the last year and will get back on track. He is too talented to not be a star in the NBA and needs to realize that he is a role model for so many young people. This a step in the right direction."

One fan hopes that Morant will focus more on basketball once he returns from his suspension:

"The dude made a few mistakes. Hopefully, he can get back on the court and focus on hoops. His highlights make the NBA regular season worth watching."

Another fan is praying that Morant won't be involved with any off-field incidents again:

"I really hope he never do some dumb sh*t again fr."

Here're other reactions to Ja Morant's great gesture:

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Ja Morant's advice to young athletes

Ja Morant at the Nike "Only Basketball" event earlier this week. (Photo: Ja Morant/Instagram)

Ja Morant made a rare public appearance late last month to surprise a bunch of young athletes at the Nike "Only Basketball" event in Memphis.

He held a hoop session before gifting all the kids his signature shoes and also gave some advice on how to improve their self-belief

"Believe in yourself," Morant said. "You know have confidence in yourself. There's going to be a lot of outside stuff that can distract you from your ultimate goal. Just stay locked in; tune it out, and stay true to yourself."

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