Ja Morant switches to No. 1 for Trail Blazers after Portland trade

Ja Morant will wear No. 1 for the Portland Trail Blazers after being acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies. The move marks a visible break from No. 12, the number he had used through high school, Murray State and his NBA career in Memphis.

The number change adds another layer to Morant’s fresh start in Portland. According to the supplied ESPN report, the Trail Blazers announced the switch and referenced the move from 12 to 1 in a social media post.

No. 1 has been worn by several Portland players before, including Blake Wesley most recently, as well as Anfernee Simons and Evan Turner in earlier seasons. No. 12, meanwhile, carries particular weight in Trail Blazers history because LaMarcus Aldridge wore it from 2007 to 2015 and remains high on the franchise’s all-time lists.

Morant arrives after a season in which he played 20 games and averaged 19.5 points, the lowest scoring mark cited for him since 2020-21. For Portland, the number change is symbolic, but the larger question is whether the new setting helps him rebuild momentum on the court.