NBA Christmas Day games ranked by watchability
USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt ranks all five NBA games slated for Christmas Day based on how intriguing they will be.
SportsPulse, USA TODAY
Ahead of his first appearance in a Christmas Day game, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant unveiled his first signature shoe, the Nike Ja 1.
In a video posted to his Twitter account, Morant unveils the light blue, low-top sneaker by unwrapping a Christmas gift from his 3-year old daughter, Kaari. In the caption above the video, he writes, “Excited to share the #Ja1, dedicated to the 1 who inspires me the most.”
Morant is expected to wear the sneakers for the first time Sunday night when the Grizzlies play the Golden State Warriors in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference playoff series in which Morant suffered a knee injury and missed the final three games.
Morant made headlines earlier this week in an interview with ESPN in which he identified the Boston Celtics as the Grizzlies’ biggest threat this year.
“No one in the West?” interviewer Malika Andrews asked him.
“Nah, I’m fine in the West,” Morant said.
The Grizzlies entered Christmas 20-11 and tied with the Denver Nuggets for the best record in a compressed Western Conference where the top 10 teams are separated by just five games in the standings.
Morant, who made the All-NBA second team last year, has cooled off a bit in December after a scorching start to the season but is currently 14th in the NBA at 26.5 points per game and fifth in assists with 7.9. The Grizzlies are at full health for the first time all season with the return of Desmond Bane, who returned Friday after missing six weeks with a toe injury.
In addition to on-court success, the release of Morant’s signature shoe is another marker in his burgeoning superstar status, featuring a recently released personal logo on the tongue and “I Am 12,” a reference to his number, around the side. Nike has said the shoe will be released for public sale in the summer of 2023 in three colorways.
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant retweeted news of the release, saying it was “a sad day knowing Ja will never hoop in the KD4s again” but noting it was a “great start to the 12 brand with these” shoes.
