What Is Ja Morant’s Nickname

Ja Morant’s best-known nickname is the name everyone already uses: “Ja“. His full name is Temetrius Jamel Morant, and Ja is short for Jamel. Fans also call him “12“, after his jersey number.

Another NBA nickname for Ja Morant, which is derogatory but very funny, is “Ja Warrant”, since the league suspended him twice in 2023 for showing a gun on Instagram Live. More on that nickname here.

Where “Ja” Comes From

He has gone by Ja since he was a kid in Dalzell, South Carolina, where he was lightly recruited and overlooked by the big college programs. He ended up at Murray State, became the second pick of the 2019 draft and won Rookie of the Year. By then nobody outside his family was calling him Temetrius.