Ja Morant explains Michael Jackson influence on Ja 2 shoe design
HOUSTON — Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant grew up dancing and singing to Michael Jackson's tunes, and now he's displaying that fandom on his shoes.
Morant's latest shoe, the "Nightmare" Ja 2s, were released publicly on Friday in sneaker retail stores and online for Nike basketball. The red colorway gives the shoe a spooky feel, but like many previous Morant sneakers, there is a backstory.
The red colorway was used as a representation of Morant's fandom for Jackson and one of the singers biggest hits, "Thriller . " Morant has spoken about how he used to perform as Jackson at family events.
Now the Grizzlies star is implementing Jackson's influence with Halloween. The design also has smoky grey hands on the back of the sneaker to increase the spooky effect. There are also more details on the sneaker that Morant doesn't want to give away.
"Just some lil Easter eggs in it, man," Morant told The Commercial Appeal on Friday. "Once you figure it out, you'll enjoy the shoe even more."
Morant wore the "Nightmare" Ja 2s in Wednesday's season opener against the Utah Jazz. The Grizzlies won that matchup, 126-124. Morant finished with 22 points and 10 assists.
This is the second time Morant and Nike basketball have released a Halloween-themed sneaker. The "zombie" Ja 1 was one of Morant's most popular in the first edition of his Nike signature shoe.
While trying to choose between the Ja 1 and Ja 2 Halloween sneakers, Morant paused, then gave his thoughts on why the answer may depend on who you ask.
"I feel like with this generation, they like the lime ones better," Morant said, referring to the zombie Ja 1s. "For me, I'll go with the 2s. I felt like a lot of thought went into that one."
After Friday's game against the Houston Rockets, Morant and the Grizzlies will be back in Memphis. That will allow Morant to attend a two-day event called "The Get Up" to celebrate the release of his Ja 2 sneakers. A pop-up truck with exclusive Nike and Morant merchandise will be in Memphis over the weekend and end with a block party at Snowden School on Sunday.
The block party is the latest event that showcases Morant's goal to give back to Memphis more through his connection to Nike basketball.
"Nike has been embracing me and my family, granting whatever we'd like to do to give back," Morant said. "Big shoutout to them for this."
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com . Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant shoes: Michael Jackson influences latest Ja 2 sneaker
