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Ja Morant made sure to give Filipino fans a time to remember in the final leg of his first international tour.
A trip to the Philippines served as the fitting conclusion to Ja Morant’s first-ever international tour.
In a short, but sweet finale to his Make Them Watch Tour, Ja made sure to make the most out of his time with the Filipino fanbase, which was headlined by an exhibition game between local basketball stars at Nike’s The Courtyard in Bonifacio Global City on Friday, August 1.
Arriving at the venue in the popular HoopJeep, Morant was greeted by legions of fans who dedicated their Friday afternoon to finally meet the Memphis Grizzlies star in the flesh. From bringing their favorite Ja jerseys, to his Funko Pop! figurines, just about everyone had a piece of memorabilia as they relished the chance to finally see their idol.
There was also the sizeable crowd outside of The Courtyard, with some kids even climbing on their friends’ backs to catch a glimpse of Ja throughout the event.
Ja, who came from a talk with young hoopers at Nike Fort, made sure to appreciate the warm reception he has received from his Filipino fans.
“It’s been good, everybody has been welcoming to me and my fam and I’m super excited to be here,” Ja said, shortly after arriving at The Courtyard.
The Grizzlies star served as a spectator to Friday’s exhibition game, where Jeron Teng, Ricci Rivero, and Marga Jimenez bolstered the De La Salle Zobel Junior Archers, and a Team Barangay crew that featured Rhenz Abando, Jack Animam, and CJ Cansino as reinforcements.
The impact of Ja’s visit was not lost on these local hoops stars, who were glad to see Filipino basketball fans getting the chance to see an idol in the flesh. There was also the opportunity to showcase local basketball talent to Ja, who even gave Abando a high-five after impressing with his exhibition game dunks.
“We’re a basketball-crazed country, so dapat lang ‘yung mga basketball stars, dito pumunta and the kids can see kasi representation matters,” Animam said, while also pointing out the solid number of female hoopers who participated in the exhibition game.
“Alam mo ‘yung marami na siyang pinagdaanan peronandito pa rin siya, tumutulong, nagiging inspiration sa mga bata, pumupunta kung saan saan para mapakita niya na pwede, posible,” added Cansino, who like Morant, has battled several adversities throughout his basketball career.
While he was a spectator, Ja Morant made sure to entertain the fans that were in attendance at The Courtyard. Shortly before the exhibition game, Ja gave a pair of autographed Nike Ja 3s to a fan named Dre, who brought a sign asking for the NBA All-Star’s sneakers as a birthday gift.
Another fan with a tattoo of Ja’s face also went home with a pair of autographs on his brand new “Light Show” Ja 3s, as well as on his torso that will likely serve as his next tattoo.
Ja also broke out his signature “Griddy” dance, and even participated with local dancers during intermission numbers to flex his now-trademark moves. As expected, the audience went wild whenever Ja sprung up from his seat to perform the Griddy.
And yes, there were dunks as well, with Ja catching an alley-oop to surprise the crowd late into the event. Shortly after, he also held an impromptu dunk show, going up for a pair of two-handed dunks to close out the final leg of his international tour.
“Manila, thank you for being such a warm, welcoming, and loving place. Great Vibes. I’ll carry these memories with me forever,” Ja wrote on an Instagram post to commemorate his first-ever visit to the Philippines.
As the Make Them Watch Tour comes to an end, it goes without saying that Ja Morant has given his fans around the world a time to remember. In Manila, all it took was one afternoon for him to connect with his Filipino fans, making the most out of his visit to show up from his supporters in Manila.
‘Til next time, Ja!
Images courtesy of Nike via Larc&Asset PR.