They did not realize Ja Morant would be there.

Approximately 40 Memphis area children came to the downtown gym at Streets Ministries in September for a Nike basketball skills camp. They knew they'd be working out and going through drills, but there was nothing on the agenda about a special guest. Even the Streets Ministries staff wasn't aware until less than an hour before the camp started. Then in walked the Memphis Grizzlies superstar — hardly seen in the public eye for months at a time this offseason, but unexpectedly popping up to make some memories.

He spent two hours and eventually played basketball with those lucky to be there. Streets Ministries executive director Eric Ballentine marveled at "his remarkable connection and interaction with them."

"It felt akin to having Michael Jordan unexpectedly visit a center in my time," he said.

As Morant prepares to return to the Grizzlies this week, the stereotypes of a famous superstar athlete hover around him. The off-court missteps that led to his 25-game NBA suspension to start the season significantly damaged his brand nationally. But he remains a cultural icon capable of bringing great joy to the city, albeit a more complicated one than many realized before his career took a serious detour the past 18 months.

These dual realities will converge once more on a basketball court Tuesday (6:30 p.m. CT, TNT) when Morant is expected to make his season debut in a nationally televised game against the Pelicans in New Orleans. He will play his first home game Thursday against the Indiana Pacers (7 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast).

He also is returning to a far different landscape. The Grizzlies have struggled without him, stumbling to one of the worst records in the league. The NBA, meanwhile, has paused its promotion of Morant as one of its young superstars, waiting to see what version emerges from this forced hiatus.

Morant has been quiet. He went months without any interviews — just occasional, subtle social media posts that provided brief glimpses into what he was doing throughout this process. Outside of those closest to him and those with the Grizzlies, most people are unsure how he approached the past few months and whether he will be able to avoid the headlines he previously couldn't escape.

Ja Morant gives high school basketball locker room speech

Even though Morant isn't playing, he still watches Grizzlies games. So when Memphis had two days off between games on Nov. 26 and Nov. 29, he opted to fill his time with high school basketball.

He reached out to Munford boys coach Kameron Foster and surprised the team with a locker room visit.

Morant's message to the boys: "We don't like losing." His first appearance went so well, he went again on Nov. 28. Both times, the team was victorious.

Morant's connection to Munford comes from Jonathan Stark, a college teammate at Murray State who played at Munford. Foster is Stark's former high school teammate. Now Foster and Morant have created a bond.

“I could have been at any school," Foster said. "It’s just the love he got for his family and brothers and stuff. He didn’t have to be there at all, but him being the great brother that he is, saying, ‘Hey, I’m trying to come support, try to boost the team up.’ And he did exactly that. He boosted my team up and he made them feel like he was one of their friends.”

Morant has surprised even his own teammates, like when he unexpectedly showed up to a G League Memphis Hustle game to watch GG Jackson, Kenneth Lofton Jr., Jacob Gilyard and others in action on Dec. 7.

Because Morant wasn't at NBA summer league, this was the first time since Jackson's AAU days that the fellow South Carolina native caught one of his games.

“I didn’t know he was coming," Jackson said. "It was pretty cool to see him come out there. Gives you a chance to envision what you want yourself to be like. It was crazy.”

Ja Morant takes in concerts, Memphis nightlife

The FedExForum speakers were blasting. Music artist Rod Wave was performing his biggest tunes, but then some in the crowd at this late November concert noticed Morant. In a suite usually reserved for his family during home games, Morant, wearing a white T-shirt, sang and danced while cell phone cameras panned in his direction as concertgoers recognized him.

"When people realized he was there, they went crazy," Prohibition Lounge host Taylor White said. "He was chilling, listening and turning up with his folks, and everybody was like, 'There go Ja Morant! There go Ja Morant!' That's all you kept hearing."

Morant also attended the Lil Baby concert in September. Experiencing the city's nightlife is not new for him. The Grizzlies star was often spotted at Memphis lounges and hangout spots like WKND Hang Suite downtown or the now-closed Life Lounge in East Memphis. Social media videos of Morant drinking and dancing surfaced occasionally, and his infamous visit to a Denver night club in March 2023 led to his first suspension after he posted a video in which he was holding apparently a gun.

But multiple club employees and frequent patrons at Morant's favorite locations, many of whom were granted anonymity in fear of retaliation by their employers, recently described the experience as different from that of other Memphis celebrities. He didn't care to hide and avoid attention. When fans approached him, he would often speak or wave.

“You can just feel the positive vibes off him," said White, who previously worked at Life Lounge. "He was ready to come turn up and have a good time. He always made sure all his people were straight. He never left anybody behind. He was making sure everybody got in the club before he walked in.”

“He’s showing people you can still have a balance," former Life Lounge employee Ciara Carter said. "You can still go here and there and not feel like you’re all that. Most times he came, he was just in a hoodie.”

As Morant closes in on returning to the court, questions remain about the changes he has made to this part of his life. Morant, 24, likes to have fun, but his popularity has not granted him the typical leeway of someone his age.

When he had to appear in Shelby County Circuit Court last week to testify in a lawsuit over a fight he got into with Joshua Holloway during a pickup basketball game, Morant conceded he can't move around in the same manner he once did.

"I can't go nowhere," Morant said. "I can't even go grocery shopping."

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Grizzlies group chat activity, even at halftime

Jackson remembers when he was drafted by the Grizzlies, a call came to his phone from Morant. The South Carolina connection fueled his excitement about Jackson joining the team.

When Morant called, he made it clear to Jackson to reach out if he ever needed anything. Jackson took him up on that offer, but he's learning Morant is a busy man.

"Man, he don't answer the phone for nobody," Jackson said.

But there is one place Grizzlies players can often catch Morant, and that has been in their group chat. During his suspension, he often will send general tips to teammates while he is watching the games. Players will sometimes check their phones during halftime, and there will be a message from Morant on what he's seeing and how the team can improve.

"He has seen us struggle," Gilyard said. "I imagine that kind of weighs on him a little bit."

"He wants to win," Xavier Tillman Sr. said. "Think about it — this is a guy my last three years here, we've made it to the playoffs all behind his back."

Come Tuesday, Morant will have more control over those outcomes than he has had the first 25 games.

His appearance will no longer be a surprise or a secret.

"I bet he's ready to turn up, talk to (media) and have fun again," Jaren Jackson Jr. said. " . . . Yeah, probably not talk to (media), but turn up for sure."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Inside Ja Morant suspension: Subdued nightlife, halftime texts