Ja Morant's ex KK Dixon playfully sums up parenting challenge with daughter Kaari: "I have to beg her"

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant’s ex-girlfriend, KK Dixon, summed up a major parenting challenge with her and Morant’s daughter, Kaari. She posted an Instagram story on Monday explaining the challenge she faces.

“Having a 5 year old… you know its only silly pics & videos 😂 I have to beg her for a 'serious' pic,” wrote Dixon.

Ja Morant's ex-girlfriend KK Dixon's Instagram story

Morant and Dixon started dating during the Grizzlies star’s freshman year at Murray State University. Their relationship began in 2017, and the two welcomed their daughter, Kaari Jayden Morant, two years later in 2019. They dated for almost seven years before calling it quits in January 2023.

Despite their differences, Dixon and Morant are co-parenting their daughter, and the 25-year-old continues to be an active part of her life.

This has been a tough season for Morant, as he has only managed to make 45 appearances for the Memphis Grizzlies. Despite facing numerous injury issues, Morant has recorded 22.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game while shooting 44.8% from the field.

The Grizzlies have been without their best player for long stretches this season but have still managed to hang on in a tightly contested Western Conference. The team is fifth (44-31) in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of the Golden State Warriors in sixth (43-41).

“That was about optimizing Ja Morant”: NBA insider on Grizzlies’ decision to fire Taylor Jenkins

The Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday. The decision came following the Grizzlies’ 125-104 loss against the OKC Thunder on Thursday.

NBA insider Tim MacMahon gave his thoughts on the matter during a conversation on the "Hoop Collective" podcast this Monday:

“This decision, to do it now and to move on from (assistant coach Noah LaRoche) and to lean back into all the pick-and-roll stuff, this was a decision that was about optimizing Ja Morant," MacMahon said.

"That was a primary motivator for this decision. There has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long."

Ja Morant is posting his lowest points average since his second season in the league when he scored 19.1 points per game. Surely, a decline in their star player’s output must’ve been enough to ring many alarm bells in Memphis. It’ll be interesting to see how Morant and Co. perform under a new coach.