MEMPHIS, Tenn. — MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant acted in self-defense when a teenager accused the two-time NBA All-Star of hitting him during a pickup game at the home of the Memphis Grizzlies guard’s parents in 2022, it has been ruled a judge ruled.
Shelby County Court Circuit Judge Carol Chumney cited Tennessee law on when the issue of self-defense can be raised, writing in a ruling issued Monday that Morant “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity.”
The lawsuit filed by Joshua Holloway accuses Morant of assaulting him during a pickup game on July 26, 2022. At the age of 17, Holloway was invited to play at the Morant family’s private court. Holloway, now 18, plays basketball for Samford University.
Morant claimed he was defending himself after Holloway aggressively threw the basketball at him with a baseball-like one-handed pass and hit him in the face during a check-ball situation. A “check” is a common practice in pick-up games where two opponents pass the ball to each other and check whether their teammates are ready, often before a play starts or after a mistake.
The judge wrote that “an agent provocateur cannot generally rely on self-defense; when you start a fight, you have to be ready to finish it. The judge also noted that Holloway was the only “provocateur” while everyone else just wanted to play basketball.
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