By: Conrad Xu

June 1st 2016, Kentucky seemed like a very normal day. Ja was heading to a small AAU tournament. He wasn’t a highly recruited player; as a matter fact he was only a 2-star recruit. But what he didn’t know was that this AAU tournament was going to change his life.

At the same time the Murray State assistant coach found himself at the same AAU tournament. He was scouting the players when suddenly he got hungry. But there weren’t any vending machines on that floor, where the best players were. So, he decided to go downstairs and buy a bag of chips.

But when he was doing so he noticed a player named Ja, whose talent was high, so the scout gave him a full scholarship to go to Murray state.

From the first game, people knew that it was the right decision. Morant would play two seasons at Murray state, and averaged 20+ points, and then declare for the 2019 NBA draft, where he would be selected by the Memphis Grizzlies, and grow into a promising young player, and win the most improved player in the 2021 season. The rest is history.

This story tells us to always believe in ourselves even when times are dark. If Ja Morant decided not to work hard in that moment he would never have become the person is today. This also shows us that the greatest things might happen in the most unexpected times, for instance buying a bag of Doritos!