Ja Morant asks judge to have Confederate statue removed from Murray, Kentucky

Former college basketball star Ja Morant is asking a Kentucky judge to remove a Confederate statue from the town of his alma mater, Murray State.

Morant, who was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, led Murray State to a conference championship in 2019. During his time at the school, Morant found the Confederate statue to be offensive and disturbing, among other things, as he wrote in his letter to the Calloway County judge, according to ESPN:

"Murray felt like a second home from the minute I stepped on campus and became a part of the Murray state community.

"As a young Black man, I cannot stress enough how disturbing and oppressive it is to know the city still honors a Confederate war general defending white supremacy and hatred."

The statue features Confederate commander Robert E. Lee, who led the Confederate states during the Civil War. It was built in 1917 to honor local Confederate soldiers who fought in the war and currently sits outside Calloway County Courthouse.

Many Confederate statues have been removed across the country in response to the death of George Floyd and racial injustice protests over the past few weeks.

Even Clemson University's Board of Trustees voted Friday to remove John C. Calhoun's name from the Honors College, according to TMZ, and cited his racist, pro-slavery beliefs as the reason for the removal.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was instrumental in getting the university to change the name. The NFL star said the name of the Honors College made him uncomfortable during his time as a student at Clemson.