Grizzlies' Ja Morant hailed 'most athletic person ever' by NBA, NFL stars

A few of his peers have taken it a step further by anointing him the greatest active athlete in the world. Hyperbole? Perhaps. 

But the NFL's Davante Adams and NBA's Kevin Durant don't seem to think so. Both stars appeared on "Up & Adams" this week and explained why they had never seen a freak of nature like Morant.

"I've never seen anything like that in my life," Adams said of Morant's 360-degree layup. "I don't want to make rash claims that are not well thought up, but he might be the most athletic person in the world. There might be somebody in Africa or somewhere who's more athletic, but, like, professional athlete, he's the most athletic professional athlete in the world. He has to be."

Former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski agreed with Adams' take.

"His 360 jumps in the air are pretty incredible, and definitely some athleticism we haven't seen in quite some time," Gronk said of Morant.

Durant called Morant "the most athletic person" he had ever seen. Mind you, the Suns star grew up idolizing Michael Jordan, the player who turned heads with freakishly athletic moves. 

When told that Adams had the same opinion, Durant said it was hard to argue with the Jets wide receiver.

"I feel the same way," Durant said. "I didn't want to give him that because he's young and there have been a lot of great athletes in the history of sports, but come on, now. To pull that off so smooth and easy? It's ridiculous. He's a top-level athlete."

Morant nearly pulled off a mind-blowing poster dunk during Wednesday's game against the Lakers but was fouled in his lob attempt. 

The athletic guard is sure to produce many more highlight-reel moments during the rest of the 2024-25 season, a year after he played only nine games due to a suspension and a shoulder injury. 

The Grizzlies are off to a 5-4 start but are dealing with injuries to key starters such as Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart. At full strength, Memphis is expected to pose a legitimate threat to the West's top teams.