Ja Morant Gifts Game-Worn Jersey And Shoes To 11-Year-Old Fan Whose Ball Was Stolen At Grizzlies Game

After Ja Morant heard that an 11-year-old Memphis Grizzlies fan had her autographed basketball stolen while at a game earlier this week, he stepped in to help ease her sadness.

As Ellie Hughes was trying to get Morant's attention for an autograph at Monday's Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs game, someone took her autographed basketball from her seat. She has been collecting players' signatures on that ball for the past six years and was devastated to have it taken from her. Her mom, Lindsay Hughes, took to Facebook to tell her story.

When Morant got wind of the situation, he jumped in to try to help Ellie. The NBA star reached out to the Hughes family to invite them to Wednesday night's rematch against the Spurs. He also gifted Ellie his game-worn jersey and Ja 1 Nike shoes that have yet to be publicly released.

"It's something I pretty much love to do," Morant said about the caring gesture. "You touch somebody's heart like that. A big fan of the Grizzlies for years. It's moments like that that mean the most to them. Something they will never forget."

Ellie's mom posted the story about how her ball was stolen by two adults at Monday's game on her Facebook page on Tuesday. On Thursday, she added to her post in the comment section writing, "Thank you everyone for sharing her story and to everyone who has reached out & shown her kindness and compassion. I am so sorry if you have messaged, called, etc.. I have been trying to reply to everyone as best I can but if I missed someone I do apologize! The Grizzly team & Ja made Ellies night & gave her a memory of lifetime that she will never forget! Thank you Ja Morant you are a class act & are a true role model & thank you to your family for being kind to Ellie & her dad at the game.. Also thank you Memphis Grizzlies & congrats on killing the game tonight! 

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Official NBA Buzz also posted about the incident and what Morant did to help ease the situation on their Instagram page. They captioned the shared photos, "This week, the local news channel in Memphis reported on 11 year old Grizzlies fan Ellie Hughes’ signed basketball being stolen by two adults at a game. After Memphis’ win over San Antonio on Wednesday, Ja Morant gifted Ellie game-worn, signed jersey, a signed sneaker, & courtside seats to make up for what happened to her. Respect, Ja! ❤️🙏"

Many fans took to the comments to leave their thoughts. "Imagine stealing a signed basketball off a kid 🤦🏽," one follower said. "That’s super cool, respect Ja for that🔥," another fan added.

The shoes Morant gifted Ellie haven't been released to the public yet, but he's been seen playing in them. The Ja 1 "Day One" will be globally available in April of this year. He wore his new sneakers during the Christmas Day game a few weeks ago and has posted photos of them on his Instagram page. He is the 23rd NBA player to receive his own signature show with Nike.