Ja Morant, a rocket that took off incognito thanks to a bag of Doritos

A bag of Doritos changed Ja Morant's life.

A university scout had gone to a campus to see a promise that had been following for a long time and in a free space he came out for something to eat.

On the way he passed a secondary court where the players who did not have a match were thrown a three for three.

One of them was striking, small and very skinny.

His name wasn't even listed in the organization's notes.

He was a last minute guest.

Filling.

Ja Morant was an impossibility in this era where the Instagram and YouTube networks reach any corner: a star that had escaped the radar.

Nor was it the first time that he went unnoticed.

At the age of 15, he had been a partner with

on the AAU circuit, summer tournaments that the big brands use to detect talent.

The Williamson phenomenon broke out that year.

Morant stayed behind.

Today it is impossible to miss Ja Morant.

The first thing that stands out is his tremendous athletic ability and that excessive confidence, bordering on sometimes the recklessness, with which he attacks the rim.

Neither in interviews nor in his game does he hide that Russell Westbrook is his idol.

He has a crushing first step and such jumping power that his most talked-about action of the year was a miss: a dunk in which he nearly jumped over Kevin Love.

He put his waist up to his forehead, but the ball hit the back of the iron.

Those legs are the result of his father's training, which made him combine fundamental work with plyometric exercises such as jumping on tractor wheels.

But what makes Ja Morant special is not his explosiveness, but at the same time he is an excellent game director, a point guard with a magnificent ability to find free teammates.

In addition to

videos

, he also studied

.

In a way, Morant is a mixture of his two referents.

All that was to be polished when

, who was the scout's name, went to get that Doritos bag.

Kane was fortunate that the next day Ja Morant was playing the boy he had gone to see,

, a promise he had already bonded to.

Morant's performance was so good that Kane immediately called his boss, the Murray State University coach.

"You have to come here. This kid is going to be professional."

The campus, by the way, was run by

, an NBA forward who that same summer had signed a ruinous contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, though that just goes to show how small this world can be.

The point is, Morant walked out of there with an offer from the university under his arm.

Murray State is a middle class university, ideal for a player who has barely excelled to come out on top.

In another place he would not have taken so many stripes after the departure of a couple of veterans.

There it exploded.

Between her first year and her second year, Ja Morant grew, gained body and continued to polish her game.

And the buzz it started to generate on a Chris Paul grassroots campus grew in volume in his second year to become reports for 'Sports Illustrated' and the 'New York Times'.

Ja Morant was one of the great sensations of the 2019 college tournament, and although nothing could take away the number one in the draft from his former teammate Zion Williamson, the two were his.

Memphis was so clear on the choice that a week before the ceremony it traded Mike Conley, the Grizzlies' last stronghold of the 'Grit and Grind'.

Morant-Jackson, the couple of the future

Ja Morant had thoroughly prepared his jump to the NBA.

She even asked Ray Allen, her father's former high school classmate and one of the best-caring players in the modern era, for eating advice.

Her first step and her vision of the game have not only made it easier for her to become professionals, but have also allowed her to make a difference in her first year.

The Grizzlies point guard has won the Rookie of the Year with 99 out of 100 possible votes, and he joins Pau Gasol as the only ones in team history to do so.

Zion Williamson's injuries paved the way for him, but Morant has had enough credit to deserve it without having to thank anyone.

From the beginning, a team that was prepared to be shipwrecked in the lower zone was thrown on its back and had it fighting until the end to get into the playoffs.

They lost on heads or tails to the Portland Trail Blazers.

By then Memphis had already lost Jaren Jackson Jr. through injury, the other piece that marks their great future (they are both 21 years old).

The Grizzlies' transition seemed tough after closing the best stage in their (short) history, but they already have a new leader.

Ja Morant, a rocket that someone discovered thanks to a bag of Doritos.

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