NBA News: Marketing Experts Foresee Ja Morant's 'Brand' Following LeBron James Blueprint

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant could be set to become the next face of the NBA.

The future seems very bright for Morant. Apart from likely becoming an All-Star this season, marketing experts project that he could be on course to becoming one of the most influential players in history.

Along with it, there’s a great chance that Morant will be inducing a variety of success to the city of Memphis the same way LeBron James empathically put Cleveland back on the map several years ago.

“It could be one of those things similar to when LeBron [James] was in Cleveland, and the opportunities that came with the Cavaliers because of that,” Alex Hanono, a senior manager of the Celebrity and Influencer department at The Marketing Arm, an international marketing agency that has worked with corporate brands such as State Farm, Wendy’s and Snickers, told Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“Obviously that’s a long way ahead, and a lot of winning and success,” he added, “But if you want to take that long view at it, that’s probably something in Morant’s sights and in the team’s sights.”

In the NBA, there are an array of factors for a city and a franchise to be considered successful. Among them are ticket sales and nationwide viewership.

According to Matt Balvanz, the senior vice president of analytics and innovation at Navigate, an entertainment and sports market research company, Morant is “in a great position” to spearhead Memphis in achieving it, especially if the “corporate side” of the city will bank on the seemingly perfect trajectory of the star point guard’s soaring NBA career.

“That he’s that legitimate now is pretty cool,” Balvanz said of Morant. “He’s in a great position, a great path, and I think the next few seasons could really dictate where this goes for him.”

“The important thing is it has to be sustained for the corporate side to trust it and for the team value to settle in, to get the attendance, to get those season ticket renewals, to get the national audiences for NBA games,” the executive continued. “It builds and builds and builds.”

Morant has been exceptional ever since his maiden season in the league.

However, he sensationally broke out this season and became arguably the most explosive scorer there is, having reached his career-best in scoring 25.1 points per game.