JA Morant silenced his critics with a stunning performance after returning from a 25-game NBA suspension.
The Memphis Grizzlies star, 24, capped an epic comeback with a winning buzzer-beater against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night.
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Morant was playing in his first competitive game since a season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on April 28.
The two-time All-Star scored 34 points to inspire his team to a stunning 115-113 comeback win on the road.
Memphis trailed by 19 points at the half following two error-strewn quarters.
But they hit back in style after the restart, with Morant leading the charge.
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The 24-year-old was electric during his 35 minutes on court, backing up his impressive scoring tally with eight assists and six rebounds.
And he capped the comeback with a smooth layup as time expired, earning the first buzzer-beater of his career.
Morant was banned for the first 25 games of the season by the NBA for "conduct detrimental to the league," per Commercial Appeal.
The Grizzlies star had appeared to brandish a gun during a May 14 Instagram live video.
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It followed a similar incident in March, when Morant was suspended by the Grizzlies for eight games after holding a gun in a nightclub.
Morant appeared delighted to be back on court after a long 8 months away.
Following the win, he told NBA on TNT: "I'm a dog, I'm a dog. I've been putting work in man.
"I haven't played a game in eight months, had a lot of time to learn myself.
"A lot of hard days where I went through it but basketball is my life, what I love, therapeutic to me and I'm just excited to be back."
Morant also praised his Grizzlies teammates for helping him through the difficult period.
He continued: "They're my guys, my brothers. We put in the work together.
"Hard practices. Light practices. Treatment. Flights. We spend a lot of time together. Through this process, they've helped me out a lot.
"Just saying positive things, telling me to stay true, keep working and they showed right there with them believing in me and it shows how excited everybody else is for me to be back."
The Grizzlies went 6-19 during Morant's suspension and are now 7-19 on the NBA season.
Fans were more than impressed by Morant's impact on his eagerly-awaited return.
One NBA fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Morant Legacy Game."
Another said: "Everyone who hated on him switching sides [right now]."
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"Ja is a top 10 player in the world, not even a debate," a third added.
"Basketball is better with Ja playing," a fourth added.
