MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In the modern age of sports and media, more and more athletes get behind the mic and tell their story, and now Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant is entering the arena but also creating a lane for those closest to him.
Ja Morant is no stranger to the lights, cameras, and action, and now the high-flying superstar is adding founder to the list with ‘Catch 12’ media. Accompanied by Phil Morant, better known as ‘Uncle Phil’, as the CEO.
The Morant’s mission is simple: to give a voice to the voiceless.
“From my point of view and my brother, it’s always been to give back. That’s kind of how we were raised, and that’s how we raise our kids,” said Phil Morant.
Many didn’t know the story of Ja Morant before he took the world by storm after he entered the NBA, which is why ‘Catch 12’ aims to not only highlight the successes of others but also the challenges and obstacles they have overcome.
“A lot of people don’t hear about the journey and how much it takes to get to whatever the destination is. It’s like wherever you’re going, whether it’s sports or whether it’s arts or whether it’s corporate America, whatever. I’m saying nobody pays attention to the journey. You just get in this rat race and you run in on that hamster wheel and you know, you don’t even you don’t stop,” said Morant.
“Everybody’s journey is different, but there are some similarities within those journeys. Because there are more stories like a Ja Morant that trained in the backyard and didn’t have a lot of finances and had to rely on mom or dad to get him there,” said director of special projects, Trey Draper.
In doing so, the Morant’s are sharing their journey as a family, including mini-documentaries, following Morant’s AAU basketball program, Twelve Time, exclusive interviews, and multiple series, including the ‘ Tee’d Up’ podcast.
“Sometimes people don’t like to share all the details of their family’s functions and stuff like that. But it’s been therapeutic because, you know, with somebody coming behind you that all they have to touch is one or two,” said Morant.
” You take a case, whether you bring it to the city of Memphis, where there’s a space for it and there’s opportunity and there’s need. When you meet in the middle, you have the opportunity to come in and make it one of the largest media companies in the world, and the best thing is that it’s family ownd and black owned,” said Draper.
