Signature blunder! Morant speaks for first time after trade: Can't understand why I'm always called a villain

On July 12, Beijing time, Ja Morant is still adjusting to his new life after being traded from the Grizzlies to the Trail Blazers. This was his first media interview since joining Portland. After the interview, team staff asked him to sign a white Trail Blazers jersey. Morant readily agreed, but as soon as he put pen to paper, he realized he had made a huge mistake.

"Oh my god," Morant exclaimed, "I signed number 12!"

During his seven seasons with the Grizzlies, Morant's No. 12 jersey consistently ranked among the league's top-selling jerseys. After moving to the Trail Blazers, he changed his jersey number to No. 1.

The two-time All-Star guard revealed in a Saturday interview that the Trail Blazers have "other plans" for the No. 12 jersey, hinting that the team will likely retire LaMarcus Aldridge's No. 12 jersey in the future.

Everyone looked at the jersey with his familiar signature, his old number, and his new number side by side, and the room burst into laughter. Morant also wore No. 12 in college and high school.

In his interview today, he also said that being traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason gives him a chance to "start fresh," and to prove that the "problem player" label attached to him by the outside world is a misunderstanding.

During his seven seasons with the Grizzlies, the two-time All-Star guard led the team to the playoffs four times, but his career in Memphis was always turbulent. Two incidents involving guns in 2023 led to consecutive league suspensions.

"What do I most want to clarify? The answer is obvious to everyone — the public perception of me, always saying I'm a troublemaker who causes trouble." This was Morant's first public statement after the trade was finalized in June. "I am Ja Morant. I made mistakes in the past, but those issues have been dealt with and are long over. It's been years, and I haven't caused any more trouble, yet people still keep bringing up old things. I really can't understand that. If I were really the kind of problematic player everyone says I am, you wouldn't have the chance to interview me today, and I wouldn't be standing here."

In March 2023, Morant was suspended for eight games for conduct detrimental to the league. At the start of the 2023-24 season, he received a 25-game suspension. Both punishments stemmed from him displaying a firearm during Instagram live streams. In November of the same year, the Grizzlies also imposed an internal one-game suspension: after the team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, Morant had a heated argument with head coach Thomas Isalo.

The Trail Blazers sent two forwards, Jerami Grant and Chris Murray, to acquire Morant. Currently, the Blazers' backcourt is stacked with talent, including Damian Lillard, Deni Avdija, Jrue Holiday, Scoot Henderson, and Shaedon Sharpe.

At the Las Vegas Summer League, Morant, wearing a black polo shirt with the Trail Blazers logo, told reporters: "A new city, a new team, a new management. I want to show the fans in Portland a different Ja, starting over from scratch. Over the years, I've grown and learned a lot, my mindset has completely changed, and the way I treat people is completely different from before. I've matured a lot mentally and am ready to give it my all."

Morant is from South Carolina and played college basketball at Kentucky. He is no stranger to this city on the West Coast: as a Nike-sponsored athlete, he visits the Nike headquarters in Portland every summer and has even gone fishing in the heavy rain of the Pacific Northwest.

"Portland is quiet and has a very comfortable vibe. I don't know if you've noticed my recent lifestyle, but I really enjoy being close to nature. Moving here is an extra bonus. I don't hike, but I take walks, ride bikes, and go kayaking. I'm increasingly grateful for my healthy life, everything I have, and my family. Now I have a fresh start, and I feel completely enlightened."

Last season, Morant averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists, but he only played 20 games due to injuries. He says he is in excellent physical condition now and has been training consistently over the past four months, even when trade rumors were swirling, to maintain his competitive shape.

Despite the crowded backcourt and intense competition for positions on the Trail Blazers, Morant says he doesn't mind whether he starts or comes off the bench, and he is very much looking forward to playing alongside Lillard, Holiday, Avdija, and others. This week, he has already met and spoken with several new teammates in Las Vegas.

"These teammates can bring out new aspects of my game, and I can also help them. I don't think having multiple guards on the court or managing playing time will be a problem. All of us play basketball with a willingness to share and cooperate selflessly."

Talking about his former team, the Grizzlies, Morant has no resentment, saying that Memphis will always be his second home and that he remains in touch with many former teammates. In the 2022 playoffs, the Grizzlies impressed with their young core and were once considered the league's most promising young team. Now, however, the team has traded away Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane, while Dillon Brooks also left as a free agent.

"The fans in Memphis have mostly been kind to me. Of course, some fans have negative opinions of me, but I don't take it as malice — it's more like a family's tough love, the way my family often treats me. I love Memphis, I love the fans and teammates there, and those years are full of good memories."