Ja Morant was inducted into Murray State's 42nd Hall of Fame class on Saturday. He was among friends at the school in Murray, Kentucky.

The Memphis Grizzlies point guard, who was selected second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, spent two seasons at Murray State (2017-19), becoming the first player in NCAA men's college basketball history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists a game.

Morant helped the 12th-seeded Racers upset fifth-seeded Marquette 83-64 in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. With a stat line of 17 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds, Morant recorded just the ninth triple-double in men's NCAA Tournament history.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and general manager Zach Kleiman were among those in attendance. Morant gave his acceptance speech at the "Racwes Hoopalooza," where he openly acknowledged recent off-court incidents and thanked the Grizzlies organization for its unwavering support throughout those obstacles.

"I appreciate y'all for coming now, with draft, summer league and all just passing," Morant said. "Appreciate y'all. It shows the love and support y'all have for me. Just know it's reciprocated."

Other attendees included Racers alums and point guards Isaiah Cannon and Cameron Payne, who had his No. 1 jersey retired last year by the program, were there to support Morant. Both players went on to have NBA careers. In the case of Payne, a Memphis native, he is approaching a decade-long NBA career.

Payne's position as someone from Memphis who attended Murray State and now plays in the NBA gives him a unique angle on what Morant's accomplishments.

"It's pretty cool to see Ja change Memphis," Payne said. "All the way from when Mike Conley and Tony Allen them were doing their thing. Now Ja came and kind of gave (Memphis) new life. That's what's so special coming from Murray State."

The hall of fame ceremony is the latest in a stretch of good news after an adventurous past 18 months for the Grizzlies star. Morant held a Memphis camp in June that surprised him with the amount of kids that attended, and he was also recently cleared for all basketball activities. The Grizzlies star is also expected to debut the Ja 2 sneaker this season, according to multiple reports.

Morant said he is still building his endurance to be back at his previous level of play. He estimated that he's at about 75%.

"I feel like that's still scary for whoever's in front of me," Morant said.

You can reach writer Josh Crawford via email @joshua.crawford@commercialappeal.com, or via X @JCrawford5656

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant inducted into Murray State Hall of Fame