Oct 7, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant (1) shoots the ball over Golden State Warriors forward Dalen Terry (21) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Oct 7, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant (1) shoots the ball over Golden State Warriors forward Dalen Terry (21) during the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Ja Morant and the Portland Trail Blazers hosted the London Lions, the first British professional basketball club to face an NBA team, for a preseason game tonight in Oregon. The Trail Blazers dismantled the Lions, 119-66, and Ja Morant finished with five points and five assists, shooting 2-for-6 from the field (33.3% FG) and 1-for-2 from beyond the arc (50.0% 3P).
Even though Morant played only limited minutes (14 minutes of action across two quarters), he managed to have a viral moment that caught everybody’s attention, even on social media.
The explosive guard stole the ball in transition and rose for a two-handed dunk that stunned the arena crowd. But on social media, the moment went viral for all the wrong reasons.
JA MORANT DUNK
RISE UP. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 12, 2026
Fans said Morant seemed to have lost his explosive athleticism, as his vertical jump looked considerably weaker, while his pre-injury self would have almost hit his head at the rim if he jumped as high as he could.
“He don’t even get up like he used to 💔.”
“Lived long enough to witness Ja lose his bounce 🥀.”
“Gotta sharpen that jumper cause those weekly poster days are gone.”
“His knees are gone.”
“He’s barely getting up.”
“Stephon Castle now is what Ja Morant used to be.”
“His head doesn’t get up to the rim anymore.”
Several NBA fans flooded social media with such reactions to his dunk. Fans are clearly still reeling from Ja Morant’s admission from two years ago that he just can’t dunk like he used to.
But to me, this isn’t as worrying as they make it seem, since it is just a preseason game and Morant may have intentionally not jumped as high as he could.
Furthermore, Morant was extremely active during the game, with steals and no-look passes that showed he’s already built significant chemistry with this roster in just a few weeks.
We all know that Ja Morant is coming into this season with a Grizzlies-sized chip on his shoulder, trying to prove to the franchise that drafted him that they were wrong to trade him.
Moreover, Ja Morant doesn’t have the pressure on his shoulders to lead the team this season, unlike the dissonance created when the Grizzlies moved on from him as the franchise player, which clearly showed in his friction with the Grizzlies’ coaching staff last season.
It will be interesting to see whether Ja Morant can bounce back to his prime, since he’s only 27. Otherwise, he may bounce from team to team in a trade spiral, never settling anywhere in the league since leaving the team that drafted him.
Given his explosiveness, it would be unfortunate if he suffered a fate like Derrick Rose or John Wall, two extremely athletic guards who will go down as the biggest what-ifs in NBA history because of their injuries.