Zion Williamson may have been the most anticipated rookie in a generation, but it was another incoming player who stole the show among his draft class this season. Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant was absolutely sensational throughout the entirety of his first season in Memphis, which earned him a near-unanimous vote for Rookie of the Year.
The award voters were told to only consider each players’ performances until the shutdown in March, but that certainly didn’t stop Morant from continuing his stellar play in the Bubble in Orlando, where he helped lead the Grizzlies all the way to a gutsy play-in game against the Blazers, where they eventually fell.
Nonetheless, the many achievements in his young career deserve to be celebrated, and what better way to do that than to have an adorable baby animal named after you? That’s what the Memphis Zoo decided to do this week when they named their newest giraffe calf after Morant, with the perfectly fitting “Ja Raffe.” See for yourself.
We have some new hooves on the African Veldt. His name is Ja Raffe to celebrate @memgrizz’s @JaMorant winning @NBA Rookie of the year. Read more in our latest ZooNews Blog. #memphiszoo #GrindCity #giraffe @zoos_aquariums #babyanimal pic.twitter.com/nwPK8olK9x
— Memphis Zoo (@MemphisZoo) November 19, 2020
Ja and the rest of the Grizz will look to build on a promising season when the new campaign kicks off next month, and depending on how the rest of the roster plays, perhaps the Memphis Zoo can start a trend and start naming other new arrivals after guys on the roster. Until then, we’ll be keeping close tabs on both Ja’s and their progress in the coming season.