“I would be the goalkeeper; I have confidence” – NBA star claims even Lionel Messi won’t beat him in one-on-one situation

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has said that he can beat anyone in a one-on-one situation, including the legendary Lionel Messi.

The 22-year-old NBA star believes that he can get the better of basketball legend Michael Jordan if he had played in the same era as the Chicago Bulls star. Speaking to Bleacher Report (via ESPN), Morant said:

"I wish I had played in his generation, though. Exactly how he treats the game, that mentality he had. ... I would have liked to play against him. ... I would have destroyed him too."

Ja Morant did not stop at basketball and moved over to football. The 22-year-old has said that he would also beat Messi in a one-on-one as a goalkeeper, adding:

“I'm never going to say anyone is going to beat me 1 on 1 or anything. I don't care about the sport, football ... who is the best football player? Messi? I would be the goalkeeper. I have confidence."

Interestingly, Messi plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) who are sponsored by Nike's Air Jordan brand, named after the famous NBA player.

According to a report last summer, Jordan pockets 5% on every PSG jersey sold, due to his Nike contract. A year ago, the NBA star earned close to €6 million. However, those numbers are going to be a lot more now. According to Asianet Newsable, PSG sold one million shirts last season, with 60% of them having Messi and number 30 at the back.

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Lionel Messi will hope for better 2022-23 season

The upcoming 2022-23 season will be Lionel Messi's second as a PSG player since joining them on a free transfer last summer. The 35-year-old will be looking for a better campaign than the last one.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner managed 11 goals and 15 assists in 34 outings for PSG across competitions last season. However, only six of those goals were scored in Ligue 1, which Lionel Messi and the Parisians won.

Messi has had one season in France and should be more accustomed to his new surroundings. He'll look for a better season with both PSG and Argentina, who'll play at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.