<
>

Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson endorses Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant for NBA MVP award

Allen Iverson, who was an elite scorer during his days in the NBA, is now admiring another young bucket-getter.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant scored a career-high 52 points Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. He shot 22-of-30 from the field to help the Grizzlies beat the Spurs 118-105.

Iverson, who won NBA MVP in 2001 while leading the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals, posted a picture of Morant's Grizzlies jersey hanging on the trophy.

The Grizzlies star responded to the 11-time All-Star with a photo illustration of the two side-by-side on the court together.

Morant's performance was the first 50-point game in Grizzlies franchise history. It broke the single-game record he set on Saturday (46 points) against the Chicago Bulls.

At 43-20, the Grizzlies are No. 3 in the Western Conference. Morant is averaging 27.6 PPG -- which ranks seventh in the league -- in addition to 5.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He was named to his first NBA All-Star Game as a starter in January.