Grizzlies' Ja Morant Earns New Nickname After Heat Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Apr 4, 2025 1:08 PM ET

The Memphis Grizzlies snapped their four-game losing streak in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, as Ja Morant drilled a buzzer-beating fadeaway jumper to lift Memphis to a 120-118 win over the Miami Heat. The Grizzlies secured their first victory since firing head coach Taylor Jenkins, while the Heat’s six-game winning streak came to an end.

Morant was the star of the night, finishing with 30 points, five rebounds, and three assists. However, his most important contribution came in the final seconds of the game. With 13 seconds left on the clock and the game tied, Morant drove the ball towards Heat territory before hitting a fadeaway jumper to beat the buzzer.

His game-winner not only sealed the victory but also earned him a spot in the Grizzlies' history books. According to StatMamba , Morant is now just the third player in franchise history with multiple game-winning buzzer-beaters, joining Pau Gasol and Rudy Gay on the exclusive list.

These late-game heroics have often been followed by Morant doing his signature "Call 12" celebration, which indicates he can be called in the clutch when his team needs a bucket. Because of this, the star point guard earned a new nickname after the win.

"The One Who Answers," SLAM magazine called him.

The One Who Answers. pic.twitter.com/FOCsIxGJW5
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) April 4, 2025

The win came just hours after the NBA decided against penalizing Morant for a finger-gun gesture during Tuesday’s loss to the Golden State Warriors. Per ESPN's Shams Charania , the league issued warnings to both Morant and Warriors guard Buddy Hield, but later fined Morant $75,000 for doing the gesture again in the Heat game.

Over his last eight games, the two-time All-Star is averaging 30.9 points, 7.0 assists, and 1.5 steals. The Grizzlies will now look to build on Morant's stellar form as they continue their push for an automatic playoff spot in the Western Conference.

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

More must-reads: