Ja Morant acted in self-defense during physical altercation with teen, judge rules

A judge ruled that Ja Morant acted in self-defense during his physical altercation at his house in July 2022.

The incident occurred during a pickup basketball game when then 17-year-old Joshua Hollaway, who currently plays at Samford, aggressively threw the basketball at him with a one-handed, baseball-style pass and hit him in the face during a check-ball situation.

Following the altercation, Morant and other witnesses, including Morant’s father Tee, say the teenager then threatened to shoot at the household. 

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Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at FedExForum on January 02, 2024 in Memphis, Tennessee.  (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Morant’s initial police report said the boy made threats against his family. It’s reported that Morant then showed a gun himself in response.

Morant’s attorneys said last year his lone punch to the teenager was “only to the extent necessary to protect himself from further harm” and “not hard enough even to knock him down.”

Shelby County Court Circuit Judge Carol Chumney cited Tennessee law on when the issue of self-defense can be raised, and she wrote in a ruling issued Monday that Morant “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity.”

The judge wrote that “a provocateur generally cannot invoke self-defense; if you start a fight, then you should be ready to finish it.” The judge also noted that Holloway was the only “provocateur,” with everyone else just wanting to play basketball. 

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) plays in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

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The altercation was one of several incidents involving Morant since last summer. Four days earlier, Morant had allegedly “threatened” the head of security at a Memphis mall, and a member of Morant’s group shoved him in the head. 

During last season, the Indiana Pacers claimed that after an altercation between associates of Morant and the Pacers, a red laser was pointed at the team from an SUV that was carrying Morant, which the Pacers believed was a gun. The NBA investigated the incident and found that no “individual threatened others with a weapon.”

Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of the NBA season for a second incident in which he appeared to show a gun on an Instagram Live video. He was suspended for eight games when he did it the first time in a Denver nightclub in March.

Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

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In his return from the 25-game punishment, he dropped 34 points, including a wining buzzer-beater, but after just nine games, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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