There has been a lot of speculation about whether NBA star Ja Morant is related to R&B singer Usher. The rumor started when some fans noticed that the two celebrities share a striking resemblance, especially in their facial features and hairstyles. Some even claimed that they are cousins or brothers, based on their similar last names. But is there any truth to this rumor? Let’s find out.
Who is Ja Morant?
Ja Morant is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 10, 1999, in Dalzell, South Carolina, to Tee and Jamie Morant. His father was a high school teammate of Ray Allen and played basketball for Claflin University, while his mother was a point guard in high school and a softball player in college.
Morant started playing basketball at a young age, training with his father in their backyard. He attended Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina, where he led his team to three regional titles and earned All-State honors. He was only lightly recruited by NCAA Division I programs and unranked by recruiting services, despite his impressive skills and stats.
He chose to play college basketball for Murray State University, where he had a breakout sophomore season in 2018-19. He became the first player in NCAA history to average 20-plus points and 10-plus assists per game for a single season. He also won the OVC Player of the Year, the Bob Cousy Award, the Lute Olson Award, and was named a consensus first-team All-American.
Morant entered the 2019 NBA draft and was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the second overall pick. He made an immediate impact in his rookie season, averaging 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. He won the NBA Rookie of the Year award and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. In his second season, he led the Grizzlies to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and scored a career-high 47 points in Game 2 against the Utah Jazz.
In his third season, Morant continued to improve his game and became an NBA All-Star for the first time. He also won the NBA Most Improved Player award and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. He averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game and helped the Grizzlies reach the Western Conference semifinals.
Who is Usher?
Usher is an American R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, actor, and businessman. He was born on October 14, 1978, in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, until moving to Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions before catching the attention of a music A&R from LaFace Records.
He released his self-titled debut album Usher in 1994, but rose to fame in the late 1990s with his second album My Way in 1997. It spawned his first U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one single “Nice & Slow”, and the top-two singles “You Make Me Wanna…” and “My Way”. His third album, 8701 in 2001, produced the number-one singles “U Remind Me” and “U Got It Bad”, as well as the top-three single “U Don’t Have to Call”. He won his first two Grammy Awards as Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 2002 and 2003.
His fourth album, Confessions in 2004, established him as one of the best-selling musical artists of the 2000s decade. It contained four consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles—”Yeah!” (featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris), “Burn”, “Confessions Part II”, and “My Boo” (with Alicia Keys)—and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. It also won him three more Grammy Awards.
He released several more albums in the following years, such as Here I Stand in 2008, Raymond v. Raymond in 2010, Looking 4 Myself in 2012, Hard II Love in 2016, and A in 2018. Some of his other hit songs include “Love in This Club” (featuring Young Jeezy), “OMG” (featuring will.i.am), “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” (featuring Pitbull), “Scream”, “There Goes My Baby”, “Climax”, and “I Don’t Mind” (featuring Juicy J).
He has also ventured into acting, appearing in films such as The Faculty, Light It Up, She’s All That, Texas Rangers, In the Mix, Hands of Stone, and Hustlers. He has also starred in the Broadway musical Chicago and served as a coach on the TV show The Voice. He has also founded his own record label, RBMG, and his own charity, Usher’s New Look.
Are They Related?
The short answer is no. Ja Morant and Usher are not related by blood or by marriage. They do not share any common ancestors or relatives, as far as we know. They just happen to have similar last names and physical features, which is not uncommon among people of African descent.
According to sitename, the surname Morant is of French origin and means “dweller by the sea”. It was brought to England by the Normans after the conquest of 1066 and later spread to other parts of the world through colonization and migration. It is also a variant of the surname Moreau, which means “dark-skinned” or “Moorish”.
According to sitename, the surname Usher is of Anglo-Norman origin and means “doorkeeper” or “porter”. It was derived from the Old French word ussier, which itself came from the Latin word ostiarius. It was originally a occupational name for someone who worked as a doorkeeper or attendant at a court or a hall.
Therefore, there is no evidence that Ja Morant and Usher are related in any way. They are just two talented and successful individuals who share some common traits and interests. They have both expressed admiration and respect for each other’s work and achievements, but they have never claimed to be family members or relatives.
Conclusion
Ja Morant and Usher are not related by blood or by marriage. They just happen to have similar last names and physical features, which is not uncommon among people of African descent. They are both successful in their respective fields of basketball and music, but they have never claimed to be family members or relatives. They are just two celebrities who share a striking resemblance..
