Ja Morant’s Sister, Niya Commits To Mississippi Valley State University To Play Basketball

With all the controversy surrounding Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Ja Morant, and his off-the-court issues, the family has some good news to help spread.

Last week, Niya Morant, the younger sister of Ja, posted to her Instagram account that she has committed to play basketball for Mississippi Valley State, an HBCU. She posted several photos of herself in an MVU uniform and captioned the post, “lets go devilettes 💚❤️ #committed #mvsu #ladydevilettes“

According to HBCU Game Day, the Division I school is located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, competing in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Its program needs a boost as Mississippi Valley State’s record for the 2022–2023 season was a dismal 2-27. It had one victory against a Division I program when it beat New Orleans and a winless record in the SWAC last season, going 0-18 in division play.

Niya is continuing the tradition of playing basketball as her father, Tee Morant, played his collegiate career at Claflin University in the 1990s. Her brother, Ja, went to Murray State before being drafted into the NBA in 2019.

HBCU Sports reported that Niya accepted the first offer she received. She also received an offer from Morgan State University, also an HBCU. A 5′ 7″ guard, she played her senior year at Houston High School in Germantown, Tennessee, this past season and averaged 11.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while helping the Lady Mustangs achieve a winning record of 21-11.

Meanwhile, her older brother, Grizzlies player Ja Morant was viewed on Instagram Live showing a gun while in the passenger seat of his friend’s vehicle. Just two months earlier, he had been suspended by the league for a similar action at a Denver strip club after the Grizzlies played the Nuggets that night.

This is the third reported incident involving a firearm with Morant that the NBA is investigating, and there is no word on the timetable the league has to mete out an appropriate punishment. With the latest controversy surrounding Ja Morant, we’re happy to see his sister’s achievements are not overshadowed.