Lil Baby was among several rappers watching courtside as Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup, helping lead The Grizzlies to victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night (Mar. 26).
The Memphis Grizzlies extended their winning run to six games beating the Hawks 123-119, the NBA’s longest active winning streak.
The 23-year-old South Carolina native came on the bench last week in his first two games following his eight-game ban for brandishing a gun on Instagram Live. After the win Ja Morant gifted his game jersey to Lil Baby, and the pair exchanged a few words while he signed it.
The 2020 NBA Rookie Of The Year also blessed Moneybagg Yo with a signed jersey.
Ja Morant previously revealed he’s a fan of both rappers, and they’re both in his pre-game playlist.
“(NBA) Youngboy, (Lil) Baby, Moneybagg (Yo),” Ja replied when asked what music gets him hyped before a game. “And a little bit of that (Pooh) Shiesty brrrrr brrr brrrr.”
YoungBoy has also shown support after Fox Sports analyst Skip Bayless criticized Ja Morant for quoting the lyric: “It’s a parade inside my city, yeah.” The words from NBA Youngboy’s “Fresh Prince of Utah” has become a slogan after Ja Morant began yelling the line in postgame interviews after Memphis Grizzlies wins.
"It was not a good sign that Ja Morant quoted that rap lyric."@RealSkipBayless on Ja interrupting a courtside interview with "It's a parade inside my city" pic.twitter.com/eDbasbthME
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 21, 2023
Though Bayless was critical because the song talks about guns, the Grizzlies trolled the analyst, replaying him saying the line after their win on Wednesday.
— chloe (@chloeadkins9) March 23, 2023
Last week, NBA YoungBoy’s label took to Instagram with a message for Morant: “You know it’s gonna be a parade for real behind you @jamorant.”
its happening 😭🔥 pic.twitter.com/iCJ4udIm1o
— blax🧃 (@ybdeyo) March 25, 2023