Tee Morant is the man behind one of basketball’s most electrifying rises, a former college player who gave up his own playing dreams to raise his son, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, from a backyard in South Carolina into an NBA sensation. Long before Ja was dunking on grown men and signing shoe deals, Tee was the one rebounding his jump shots, timing his sprints and teaching him to play above the rim. Today, Tee Morant is known as a former college basketball player, a one-time barber, a full-time entrepreneur and, above all, the parent widely credited with shaping one of the league’s most exciting young guards. This article covers his early life, his own playing career, the sacrifices he made for his family, his role in coaching Ja, the controversies that have followed him courtside and the business career he has since built.
Tee Morant: Quick Bio Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Temetrius Jamel Morant |
| Known as | Tee Morant |
| Place of birth | South Carolina, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Former basketball player, basketball coach, entrepreneur, media personality |
| High school | Hillcrest High School, Dalzell, South Carolina |
| College | Claflin University |
| Notable college honour | 1996 to 1997 EIAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year |
| Spouse | Jamie Morant |
| Children | Ja Morant (b. 1999), Teniya Morant |
| Grandchild | Kaari Jaidyn Morant |
| Famous for | Being the father and childhood coach of NBA star Ja Morant |
| Estimated net worth | Around 5 million US dollars |
Who Is Tee Morant?
Tee Morant is a former college basketball player, coach and entrepreneur best known worldwide as the father of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant. Born Temetrius Jamel Morant, he grew up between South Carolina and Tennessee in a household that treated basketball as a shared family pursuit rather than a solitary hobby. His mother, Saundra E. Dawson, worked in healthcare, and Tee has two brothers, Mar Cell and Travis Wiley.
Friends and former teammates describe him as intense and disciplined even as a teenager, traits he later poured into raising his son. Rather than fading into the background once Ja turned professional, Tee has remained a constant presence courtside, in interviews and on social media, building his own public profile alongside his son’s career.
That visibility has made him one of the most talked-about sports parents in America, a status built on genuine basketball knowledge rather than borrowed fame. Understanding who Tee Morant is means looking at both the player he once was and the coach he became.
What Was Tee Morant’s Own Basketball Career Like?
Tee Morant had a genuinely promising college basketball career before family life reshaped his path. He attended Hillcrest High School in Dalzell, South Carolina, where he played alongside a future Hall of Famer, Ray Allen, giving him an early, close-up education in what elite competition looked like.
After high school, Tee continued his basketball education at Claflin University, a historically Black university in South Carolina, where he built a reputation as a gifted, hard-nosed guard. Several biographical accounts credit him with being named the 1996 to 1997 EIAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year, and he reportedly helped his team reach consecutive appearances in the NAIA National Championship Tournament.
Those achievements show that Tee’s basketball credentials were earned well before his son ever picked up a ball, not invented afterwards because of Ja’s fame. His playing days gave him the technical grounding he would later use to train the next Morant generation.
Why Did Tee Morant Give Up His Basketball Career?
Tee Morant stepped away from a potential professional basketball career when his girlfriend, Jamie, became pregnant with their first child. He had considered continuing to compete, including possibly playing overseas, but chose instead to stay home and build a stable life for his growing family.
To provide steady income, Tee took work as a barber, a practical trade that let him support his household while staying close to home. It was a significant sacrifice for an athlete with real ability, one that many players in his position never have to make.
Rather than viewing the decision with regret, Tee redirected his competitive drive and basketball knowledge into his son’s development. That choice, made quietly in the mid-1990s, ultimately shaped the entire trajectory of the Morant family.
How Did Tee Morant Train Ja Morant as a Child?
Tee Morant personally coached Ja from toddlerhood, building resourceful, low-cost training methods rather than relying on expensive academies. As soon as Ja could walk, Tee began working with him in the family’s backyard, using inventive drills to build coordination and confidence.
He famously used old tractor tyres to build explosive leg strength, alongside homemade exercises focused on footwork, balance and vertical leap. Ja was small and largely overlooked by recruiters throughout his youth, but Tee saw potential that scouts consistently missed and drilled his son relentlessly on ball-handling and defensive positioning.
The results eventually spoke for themselves. Ja left Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina, as its all-time leading scorer with 1,679 career points, despite barely registering on national recruiting boards. That backyard foundation, built years before anyone outside their hometown had heard of Ja Morant, became the platform for everything that followed.
What Role Does Tee Morant Play in Ja Morant’s NBA Career?
Tee Morant remains an active coach and confidant in Ja’s professional career, not simply a proud spectator. When the Memphis Grizzlies selected Ja with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Tee moved to Memphis shortly afterwards to stay close to his son’s day-to-day development.
Ja has repeatedly credited his father for the discipline and technical understanding behind his game. “He just knows what it takes,” Ja has said of Tee, pointing to the childhood training sessions as the root of his professional work ethic. Coaches who worked with Tee decades earlier have also noted that Ja’s relentless preparation closely mirrors his father’s own approach to the sport.
This ongoing involvement explains why Tee is so often seen courtside at Grizzlies games, animated and fully invested in every possession. Their relationship reflects years of shared effort rather than a parent simply enjoying his child’s success from a distance.
What Controversies Has Tee Morant Been Involved In?
Tee Morant’s high visibility at Grizzlies games has occasionally placed him at the centre of controversy. In January 2023, he was involved in a heated exchange with ESPN commentator Shannon Sharpe during a game in Los Angeles, an incident that drew significant national media attention.
A Memphis Grizzlies team source later told ESPN that Tee had become a “driving force” behind some of his son’s off-court issues, suggesting his prominent and occasionally combative presence around the team fed into a wider pattern of controversy. Tee addressed the criticism directly in 2023, telling young basketball players at a camp in New Orleans that Ja’s troubles stemmed from his own decisions rather than the people around him.
Ja has consistently defended his father in public throughout these episodes, refusing to let outside reports strain their bond. Their relationship has proven resilient even during turbulent stretches, including a further ejection of Tee from the stands during a Grizzlies game in October 2024.
What Business Ventures Is Tee Morant Involved In?
Tee Morant has built a genuine career as an entrepreneur and media personality beyond his connection to Ja. After his early years working as a barber, he expanded into basketball training, running youth camps and skills clinics across South Carolina and Tennessee that help develop young athletes outside his own family.
He has also become a recognisable figure on social media, where his outspoken personality and constant courtside presence have earned him a sizeable following and various brand partnerships tied to his son’s growing fame. These ventures combine his basketball background with a genuine interest in coaching the next generation of players.
Estimates place Tee Morant’s net worth at approximately five million US dollars, built through coaching income, business ventures and sponsorship deals rather than a traditional playing salary. That financial path illustrates how sacrifice, reinvested wisely, can still produce a strong outcome decades later.
What Is Tee Morant’s Family Life Like?
Tee Morant has been married to his wife, Jamie, since their college years, when the couple first met as fellow student athletes. Jamie played college softball, and the pair’s shared athletic background has clearly shaped the values they passed down to their children.
Together, Tee and Jamie have two children: Ja, born in 1999, and a daughter, Teniya, born several years later. Family remains central to how Tee describes his own life, and he frequently speaks about the importance of faith, hard work and staying grounded despite his son’s fame.
Ja Morant has also made Tee a grandfather, with his daughter, Kaari Jaidyn Morant, adding another generation to the close-knit Morant family. Those who know the family describe a household built on loyalty rather than luxury, where basketball has always been a shared pursuit rather than a solitary ambition.
Conclusion
Tee Morant’s story is ultimately one of sacrifice turned into legacy. He walked away from his own basketball ambitions to raise a family, then built an NBA star with little more than backyard drills, discipline and unwavering belief. Whatever the headlines say about his courtside temperament, his role in shaping Ja Morant’s career remains undeniable, and his own path from barber’s chair to respected coach and entrepreneur stands as a compelling story in its own right.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Tee Morant?
Tee Morant is a former college basketball player, coach and entrepreneur best known as the father of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant. Born Temetrius Jamel Morant, he built his reputation both through his own playing career and through the years he spent personally training his son from early childhood into an NBA talent.
2. What is Tee Morant’s real name?
His full birth name is Temetrius Jamel Morant, a name he later passed on to his son. Ja Morant’s legal name is also Temetrius Jamel Morant, making the connection between father and son a literal one rather than simply a shared surname or nickname.
3. Did Tee Morant play professional basketball?
Tee played college basketball at Claflin University, where he earned conference Player of the Year honours and helped his team reach the NAIA National Championship Tournament. He gave up plans to continue playing professionally when his wife became pregnant with their first child.
4. Why did Tee Morant become a barber?
Tee took up barbering to provide a steady income for his young family after choosing to prioritise fatherhood over pursuing a professional playing career. The trade allowed him to stay close to home while still supporting his wife and newborn son financially.
5. Did Tee Morant train Ja Morant himself?
Yes, Tee personally coached Ja from toddlerhood onward. He used homemade backyard drills, including old tractor tyres, to build his son’s athleticism, footwork and vertical leap long before recruiters or coaches outside the family took any notice.
6. Is Tee Morant related to Ray Allen?
Tee is not related to Ray Allen by blood, but the two were high school teammates at Hillcrest High School in Dalzell, South Carolina. That shared background gave Tee early exposure to elite-level basketball habits and standards.
7. What has caused controversy around Tee Morant?
Tee has faced criticism for confrontations at NBA games, including a widely reported 2023 incident with commentator Shannon Sharpe and a later ejection from the stands in 2024. A Grizzlies team source also linked his presence to some of Ja’s off-court troubles.
8. What does Tee Morant do for a living today?
He runs youth basketball camps and training clinics across South Carolina and Tennessee, works as a coach and media personality, and earns income through business ventures and sponsorships connected to his public profile as Ja Morant’s father.
9. What is Tee Morant’s net worth?
Tee Morant’s net worth is estimated at approximately five million US dollars. This wealth has been built through coaching, entrepreneurship and brand partnerships rather than through a professional basketball playing salary of his own.
10. Does Tee Morant have other children besides Ja?
Yes, Tee and his wife, Jamie, also have a daughter named Teniya, making them a family of four before becoming grandparents. Ja’s daughter, Kaari Jaidyn Morant, has since made Tee a grandfather as well.
