Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant may not have competed in the NBA Slam Dunk during All-Star Weekend but that didn’t stop the rookie from putting on a dunk show on Thursday night.
The Grizzlies returned to action against the Sacramento Kings following the All-Star break as Morant and his team look to continue their bid for the playoffs.
Prior to tip-off, Morant, or “Headband 12” as he would like to be called, threw down a couple of wild dunks in the warmup lines. The dunk that had everyone talking was one made famous by Vince Carter.
Of course, Carter broke out the “Honey Dip” dunk during the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest when he went elbow-deep into the rim to be crowned the champion.
Morant offered his rendition of that dunk.
Ja Morant warms up with the VC elbow dunk 😮
(via @memgrizz) pic.twitter.com/dESjW1ay5w
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 21, 2020
Morant said a few months ago that he was contemplating participating in the Slam Dunk Contest this year but ultimately passed on the event in order to maintain his health. He had previously missed some time this season after dealing with back spasms.
Already in his rookie season, Morant has established himself as one of the best high-flyers in the game and a future candidate in the annual event. Hopefully, he can maintain his health to participate in a future contest and give basketball fans what they want to see.
The Kings defeated the Grizzlies, 129-125.
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