BODYARMOR EDGE has announced a new ad campaign for its sports hydration drink, “GET YOUR EDGE,” that features athlete partners and investors Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“Ja Morant and Kyler Murray are two of the most exciting athletes in sports and embody the intense, aggressive, hard-working mentality of BODYARMOR EDGE,” said Michael Fedele, VP at BODYARMOR, in a release on Tuesday morning. “Working with both rising superstars was an absolute blast, and we can’t wait for fans and consumers to give BODYARMOR EDGE a try.”
In the announcement, Morant said, “BODYARMOR EDGE is unlike anything out on the market today. So, it’s exciting for me to play a key role in the first-ever ad campaign with Kyler and see firsthand how BODYARMOR is continuing to transform the hydration game.”
BODYARMOR
The Murray State alum is averaging 18.4 points and 7.7 assists per game in 30 minutes of action this season. He spoke with the Flyer to discuss a wide range of topics, including the BODYARMOR ad campaign, his love for the Memphis community, Grizzlies culture, the return of Justise Winslow, the importance of women in sports, and more.
Tell me about your new campaign with BODYARMOR. What was it like filming the commercial?
Morant: It was big-time. That was actually my first time being part of a big special group and actually doing something like that. I’m just thrilled to be a part of the first-ever ad campaign for BODYARMOR EDGE. I’m a big fan of it, and it gives me the energy on and off the court whenever I need it.
Ja Morant Featured in New BodyArmor Campaign
Why is it important to you to give back to your community?
As for me, it just shows where you come from, and I’m a big family person. I love giving back to wherever I’m from and wherever I’m at. Since I’ve been in Memphis, everybody’s been showing me love and treated me like family. So it’s only right to show my love back to the community.
There’s been a lot of talk about the Grizzlies culture and having good locker room guys. Since arriving in Memphis, what do you think about the culture and how you’ve fit in with it?
I’m used to it. But as far as locker room guys, I feel like we have a great group of guys. No matter who it is, if it’s somebody new or not, we allow them to be themselves. We’re all around each other — we are always laughing and joking. But we also know when it’s time to be serious and lock into whatever we have to do.
How happy are you to have Justise Winslow on the court after his long, hard struggle to return from injury?
Justise is a special player. He can defend multiple positions and play multiple positions on offense — another guy who can make plays for himself and for the team. When you have so many guys who can do that and guys who are unselfish, it helps our team, and it eventually shows up in the assist column.
Why is it important for you to support women in sports, from the female athletes, the female coaches to the female executives and female reporters?
Women don’t receive as much respect or attention as they should. Women are a big part of our world today. To achieve things like being a woman coach in the NBA or anything like that, that’s a special honor and a big deal for women. As far as for me, to show my love and appreciation for them , I will continue to do it. Hopefully, to have everyone else realize how special women are.
In your first year, you took the league by storm and immediately impacted your team and won Rookie of the Year. How much do you feel you’ve improved from your first year in the NBA to now. And how has Taylor Jenkins and his coaching staff helped you become a better player?
I feel like I have become a lot better. The game is actually slowing down a little bit for me when I’m out there. So I’m starting to see things before they happen. And I feel like that helps our team and puts us in good positions at all times. As far as our coaching staff and how they help me, they are always there when I need them; if I have questions, they always sit down with me and watch film and constantly talk about how I can get better and how we can get better as a team.
What does success look like for you this season?
Success for me this season would be for me to be better than last season, for sure. I think that’s the number one thing — continue to show my growth. But as far as a team, I feel like making the playoffs would definitely be a successful season for us.
I’ve heard you say that you want your teammates to hold you accountable; where does accountability fit into the aspects of being a good leader?
I have to bring it each and every day. I can’t have days where I’m going through the motions. If I ever have a day like that, I would expect my teammates to speak up and let me know to lock in, whether it’s in practice or a game.
Lastly, you don’t have to answer these if you don’t want to. Will you participate in the dunk contest? Do you think you should have been chosen as an All-Star reserve?
No, I will not be in the dunk contest. It’s God’s timing on the All-Star game for me. So I will continue to work and get better.
