Ja Morant Reacts to Ronald Acuna’s Return to Braves on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Rowan Fisher-Shotton | Last updated May 23, 2025 10:07 PM ET

Friday’s unlikely crossover moment began when Major League Baseball posted a clip on X featuring Ronald Acuña Jr. making his 2025 season debut against the San Diego Padres with a massive home run on the first pitch he saw.

The Atlanta Braves activated their four-time All-Star outfielder after a year-long absence due to a torn ACL, hoping his return will spark a midseason turnaround as they sit third in the NL East.

The video shows Acuña Jr. driving a ball 467 feet deep into the left-center field seats at Truist Park.

On the basketball side, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant took to X to celebrate the moment, posting the simple yet telling emoji combo “.”

https://t.co/p2e3sJZyxd
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) May 24, 2025

Acuña's swing was a reminder of the historic 2023 campaign in which he became the first player in MLB history to record at least 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season.

The 2023 NL MVP, Acuña batted .337/.416/.596 with 41 homers and 73 steals, leading the majors in hits (217), stolen bases, and on-base percentage.

He is a four-time NL All-Star (2019, 2021-2023), three-time Silver Slugger (2019, 2020, 2023), 2018 NL Rookie of the Year, and two-time NL stolen base leader (2019, 2023).

Morant, meanwhile, continues to solidify his standing as one of the most electrifying players in the NBA.

Selected second overall in 2019 by Memphis, Morant won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020 after averaging 17.8 points and 7.3 assists per game.

In 2022, he earned his first All-Star start, won the NBA Most Improved Player Award, and made his first All-NBA Team.

Going into the 2025-26 season, Morant holds career averages of 22.6 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game over six seasons.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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