“Jordan could never”: NBA fans in shambles as TNT displays “insane” Ja Morant record during season debut

If redemption is what Ja Morant was looking for after serving his 25-game suspension, he certainly got his journey off to a great start Tuesday. The Grizzlies guard capped off his season debut with a spinning dribble in the lane to drain a floater that gave Memphis a 115-113 win against the New Orleans Pelicans. Morant finished the night with 34 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

TNT’s Inside the NBA host Ernie Johnson captured the moment the best after the game:

“Ja Morant returned to the court Tuesday night in New Orleans. His 25-game suspension over.

"And if you had submitted a script for his first game back, which included Memphis falling behind by 24 points. Ja scoring 27 in the second half. And Ja winning the game at the buzzer, you would have been told to take that thing back to the editors, come up with something more believable. But what I described is just what happened.”

While Johnson captivated viewers with his poetic words, social media was abuzz with a TNT graphic that said Ja’s 34 points were the most by a player after missing 25+ straight games. As you could have guessed, Twitter had a field day reacting to the stat.

One fan brought Michael Jordan into the conversation:

“Jordan could never.”

Another added:

“This so unnecessary but hilarious.”

Ja Morant said he is “excited to be back”

It hasn’t been the best year for Ja Morant by any stretch. He was suspended for eight games in March, and then for 25 games to start the season. As fans and analysts discussed Ja’s future amid his impending return, the guard put in the work. The hard work showed Tuesday and got Ja’s redemption arc to the perfect start.

“I’ve been putting work in, man,” Ja Morant said after the game. “I ain’t play a game in eight months. Had a lot of time to learn myself. A lot of hard days where I went through it. But you know, basketball is my life - what I love, therapeutic for me. And I’m just excited to be back. …

“I've been working hard, but there's nothing like NBA basketball. I just had to lock in and push through — pretty much my life, you know, just continuing to push, no matter what.”

Ja shut down the boos in his first game back, but he has a long road ahead. Was Tuesday’s game just a sign of things to come as the high-flying guard tries to get the 7-19 Grizzlies’ struggling season back on track? Well, as the age-old adage goes, only time will tell.