Morant was born in Dalzell, South Carolina,[2] to Tee and Jamie Morant.[3] His mother was a point guard in high school and a softball player in college,[4] while his father was a high school teammate of Ray Allen and played basketball for Claflin University.[4] After playing semi-professionally,[5] Tee considered playing pro ball overseas.[5][6] But when Jamie became pregnant with Ja, he abandoned his basketball career and stayed at home,[1][2][6][7] becoming a barber instead.[1]