Grizzlies' Ja Morant meets baby giraffe Ja Raffe at Memphis Zoo

Ja Morant has already become a cult hero in his short time with the Grizzlies. Now the Memphis Zoo took the love one step further.

The zoo announced Thursday its newest baby giraffe would be named Ja Raffe in honor of the NBA's reigning Rookie of the Year. Ja Raffe was born on Nov. 10 and the African Veldt stands 6-foot-3 just like Morant.

The zoo arranged a visit between Morant and Ja Raffe on Friday and Morant tried to feed him with some leaves although the calf didn't budge. He also joked about potential on-court plans for him.

"If I ever do the dunk contest, I'm taking my son with me," said Morant, who has a 1-year-old daughter Kaari.

Morant also posed for selfies with Ja Raffe behind the glass and was also allowed to briefly touch him on the nose. Morant moved his hand slowly before lightly tapping him and saying "boop."

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The zoo trip didn't stop there as Morant held a snake and tossed some meat to a tiger. It was a perfect bounce pass from the player who led all rookies in assists last season.

Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield joked on Twitter that Morant has a standing invitation to test his arm out with Tigers of a different kind.

"You can come over to the University of Memphis and throw some passes the Tiger football team! [sic]," Silverfield wrote.

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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com