In an attempt to fix his damaged reputation, Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant is countersuing a teenager that claimed the basketball star assaulted him last summer.
The face of the Memphis Grizzlies organization has had a difficult last few months, however, his tough luck was all a byproduct of his own poor decisions. Morant was suspended for eight games last month after he posted a video to social media of him brandishing a gun at a Colorado nightclub.
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Yet, Ja Morant’s reputation took several hits well before his suspension. Members of his entourage were linked to worrisome threats to Memphis Grizzlies opponents after a game. His father got into an argument with an NFL legend at a game earlier this year, and multiple complaints were filed against him with local authorities in Memphis.
The most notable of the claims made against him was that he and a friend physically assaulted a high school basketball player following a pickup game at Morant’s house last summer. However, the Memphis Grizzlies All-Star claims in a new lawsuit that the punch he allegedly delivered to Joshua Holloway was done in self-defense.
Memphis Grizzlies record (’22-’23): 51-31, second place in Western Conference
On Thursday, TMZ Sports reported on court documents obtained from a countersuit in response to Holloway’s civil suit from September. In the documents, Morant admits he did strike the high school athlete, but claims the teenager was the real aggressor in the July 26 incident.
Morant alleges that Holloway became angry during the game, through the basketball at his face, then “balled up his fists and walked aggressively” toward him as if he was going to throw a punch.
The two-time NBA All-Star claims he hit the teenager first out of self-defense but after the strike, Holloway allegedly said he would come back and light up Morant’s home “like a firework show.” Which the Memphis Grizzlies talent took as a threat of future gun violence.
The documents go on to claim Holloway gave a false accounting of the event to the police and lied about Morant having a gun on his person. Morant is countersuing and claiming that once the story became public it led to ridicule and humiliation for him.