Key Takeaways
- Ja Morant cut off his signature locs and revealed a shorter, natural hairstyle in an Instagram carousel captioned with a single scissors emoji.
- The post drew more than 746,000 likes in roughly 16 hours, while former Grizzlies teammate Ziaire Williams joked that Morant should have gone for a Jeezy-style cut.
- The makeover follows Morant’s June trade from Memphis to Portland and the $3.23 million sale of his Tennessee mansion, though he hasn’t said whether the haircut signals a fresh start.
Ja Morant just made one of his biggest changes yet, and this one has nothing to do with basketball. The Portland Trail Blazers guard has officially chopped off his signature locs, revealing a dramatically different hairstyle in a new Instagram post that documents the entire transformation.
Morant didn't bother with a lengthy explanation. Instead, the two-time NBA All-Star let the pictures do the talking, captioning the carousel with a single scissors emoji: "✂️."
The photos show Morant sitting in a chair while a stylist cuts through the locs he's worn for years. Another shot captures the scissors mid-cut, while the finished product reveals a shorter, natural hairstyle with plenty of volume. Morant appears pleased with the results, smiling as he checks his phone.
And he wasn't finished showing off the new look. The Instagram carousel also includes photos of Morant boarding a private jet, sporting a green baseball cap over his freshly cut hair.
The post quickly racked up more than 746,000 likes in approximately 16 hours, with fans and fellow basketball players weighing in on the makeover.
Former Grizzlies teammate Ziaire Williams couldn't resist cracking a joke. "Mannnn u was posed to go 360 jeezy on Dey ahh 😂😂😂🧢," he commented, referencing the close-cropped haircut associated with rapper Jeezy.
The haircut comes during a year of major changes for Morant, whose seven-season run with the Memphis Grizzlies ended when he was traded to Portland in June.
Morant appeared in just 20 games during the 2025-26 season, averaging 19.5 points and 8.1 assists. He also received a one-game suspension following a confrontation with then-Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo.
Despite the friction, people close to Morant maintained that his problems with the organization weren't personal toward Memphis.
"Ja loves the city, and he loves the team," one source previously told Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson. Another source insisted that the situation "had nothing to do with Memphis."
Morant has also been closing out other parts of his Memphis chapter. His sprawling Tennessee mansion recently sold for $3.23 million, months after the property was listed for $3.5 million. The 13,000-square-foot estate was located near another home he purchased for his parents.
For some people, cutting longtime locs represents a fresh start or the end of a significant chapter. Morant hasn't explained whether his decision carries that kind of meaning, but the timing coincides with his transition to a new team and city.
