Ja Morant Can Argue Self-Defense In Lawsuit Filed Against Him

A lawsuit was filed in September 2022 by a then-17-year-old teenager who accused Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant of hitting him while the two engaged in a pickup basketball game at Morant’s parents’ house earlier that summer. A judge has ruled that Morant acted in self-defense when he struck the teenager that day.

According to The Associated Press, Shelby County Court Circuit Judge Carol Chumney ruled against Joshua Holloway, who brought the lawsuit against Morant after the two had an altercation at the home in Eads, Tennessee, on July 26, 2022. She stated that the NBA player “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity” when she cited Tennessee law since the issue of self-defense was raised by Morant’s attorney. Morant’s attorney stated that he struck Holloway first “to protect” himself against the teenager.

In her judgment, she wrote that “a provocateur generally cannot invoke self-defense; if you start a fight, then you should be ready to finish it” under Tennessee law. She said that Holloway wanted to fight when everyone else just wanted to play basketball.

The incident took place at Morant’s home during a game of pickup basketball. The Memphis player stated that Holloway was frustrated that he had already lost a couple of games, and he allegedly threw an aggressive one-handed pass at him when Morant was checking the basketball. He said the ball hit the left side of his face.

While testifying on the witness stand in December 2023, Morant said that after the ball was thrown at him, he asked the teenager, “What you on?” Instead of answering, Holloway pulled up his shorts, which he took as an aggressive fighting stance.