Darren Jason Watkins Jr, more popularly known as IShowSpeed, is never shy about creating viral moments. He’s made a career out of doing and saying outlandish things. And the latest target of his meme-worthy antics was NBA superstar Ja Morant.
Speed ran into Morant and his Memphis Grizzlies teammate, Jaren Jackson Jr, on his stream while he was visiting Memphis.
“They say you're the best athlete in the world. Check out that vert?” Morant told Speed, asking him to check his vertical.
“Yeah, hey, 41!” replied Speed, referring to his recent 41-inch vertical dunk.
“How far to go?” Morant cheekily asked Speed how far he is from the NBA superstar. But Speed was ready, and his response left Morant in dismay.
“Naah, you don’t have a 50 in you. You do not have a 50 vert.” Speed said, and Morant turns back and gives him a bizarre look as if he’s in disbelief that Speed would doubt his vertical abilities.
“Check the stats,” Morant said and walked out of the room, smiling.
NBA fans quickly advised Speed not to get on Morant’s wrong side, while some sided with Speed, doubting the Grizzlies’ star’s claims.
“Stop playing with Ja, he’s not the one to play with.”
“If Ja jumps any higher, he's gonna meet MJ in the high heavens.”
“NASA called—they want their astronaut back.”
“Speed thinks he's all that.”
“He definitely has a 50 vert. The guy gets injured damn near every time he jumps and lands.”
“Ja Morant knows he doesn't have a 50-inch vertical.”
“Ja is a genetic freak!… but no way he’s got a 50” vert…”
Ja has never publicly claimed that he has a 50-inch vertical. And his highest ever recorded vertical is 44 inches, which was pre-draft. Last season, he recorded a 39.6-inch jump, which was the fourth highest in the league. So he is definitely amongst the elite leapers, but is he at the top?
That claim is debatable, as officially, many other players have recorded a higher vertical leap than Morant’s 44-inch jump. The measurement of vertical jumps was only seriously started sometime during the beginning of this century. So any stats from before that time are mostly widely believed claims without any way to verify them.
For instance, ‘his airness’ Michael Jordan’s 48-inch vertical has never been officially verified, and it is just a widely cited claim that the NBA world chooses to believe. But since the dawn of this century, we have recorded proof that Morant is behind some other serial jumpers.
DJ Stephens posted the highest ever vertical jump during the 2013 NBA Draft Combine, with 46-inch standing and 53-inch running vertical. Keon Johnson also recorded a max vertical leap of 48 inches, which is different from a normal vertical, but impressive nonetheless. Dunk maestro Zach LaVine has also been claimed to go as high as 46 inches.
All of these signs point towards Speed doing his homework and knowing what the official stats are. Or, he just wanted to rile up Morant and come back with a live-stream vert-off where the two players go face-to-face, showing off their leaping abilities. In any case, it will be fun to see how Morant replies or if he even replies in the long run.
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