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Ja Morant's buzzer-beater becomes NBA's most-watched Instagram video ever

It seems safe to say Ja Morant is having a moment.

The Memphis Grizzlies point guard is having a breakout season in his third year in the NBA. He's picking up steam in the MVP race, not to mention an endorsement from Allen Iverson. And he's lighting the NBA's social media channels on fire with highlight after highlight.

Morant's exploits reached a new high on Monday, when he dropped a career-high 52 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs, including this absurd buzzer-beater at the end of the first half.

Fans apparently liked the video enough that it is now the most-watched video in the history of the NBA's Instagram account, the league revealed Wednesday. The video reportedly picked up 42.1 million views, part of more than 80 million views Morant amassed in the entire game.

Morant's 325 million views are reportedly the third-most views of any player in the NBA, behind only Stephen Curry and LeBron James. That is pretty good for a player competing in the league's smallest market.

Of course, you don't need social media engagement numbers to know that Morant seems to be turning into something special.

For the season, Morant is currently averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 33.4 percent from 3-point range. Beyond the statistics, he has become one of the most fun players in the NBA, capable of delivering poster dunks and deep 3-pointers.

That record-setting buzzer-beater might not have even been his best play of the night, as he also did this to poor Spurs center Jakob Poeltl:

As the crown jewel of the Grizzlies' young core, Morant has the team sitting in third place in the Western Conference with a 43-20 record. He earned his first NBA All-Star nod this season, and we'll have to wait and see what other hardware he picks up by the time the season's over.

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 28: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates with teammates during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at FedExForum on February 28, 2022 in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Ja Morant is looking like one of the best players in the NBA. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)