Lots of NBA players get a signature shoe, but Ja Morant got a signature zoo animal. This week the Memphis Zoo announced that their new baby giraffe was going to be named after Grizzlies’ star Ja Morant, and the name was perfect: Ja Raffe.
Ja Morant the human met Ja Raffe the giraffe and it was adorable
Is he gonna dunk on this giraffe?
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Fame, fortune — fleeting. There is nothing cooler than getting a zoo animal named after you. Every time people go to the Memphis Zoo for years now they’ll see Ja Raffe and immediately remember Morant. That’s super cool.
But not nearly as great as getting to boop a giraffe on its nose.
It was a fun-filled morning for Morant and everyone who went with him to meet Ja Raffe. They pet, they booped, and learned all sorts of helpful giraffe facts. While it was all very sweet and adorable, Morant needed to make sure Raffe knew that if he wanted to, the NBA Rookie of the Year could dunk on the baby giraffe with ease.
There’s only one way this ends: Ja Morant needs to jump over Ja Raffe at the 2023 NBA Dunk Contest (to give the little guy some time to grow).
