Ja Morant lawsuit provides glimpse into his youth, family and a contentious pickup game

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A basketball game at Ja Morant's parents' house near Memphis two summers ago quickly turned a day of fun, food, family and friends into chaos.

Under the hot July sun, the feud between the Memphis Grizzlies star and a local high school student who was friends with Morant's sister and was guarding him that day, witnesses said.

During a check-ball sequence to start a game, Joshua Holloway swung a hard pass from close range that hit Morant in the face, causing Morant to hit the 17-year-old in the chin. Morant's childhood friend Davonte Pack then punched him again, knocking him to the ground, witnesses said. As Holloway was led away, he said he was going to “light up” the place like a “fireworks display,” according to the people who were there.

On Wednesday, lawyers for Morant, 24, and Holloway, now 18, will return to court for a hearing in a lawsuit the teenager has filed against the mercurial player. Morant, who has not been charged in the Holloway incident, returns Tuesday after a 25-match ban imposed last summer after flashing a gun in two livestream videos. Pack, who was charged with assault before the charges were dropped, is also a defendant in the lawsuit, which seeks damages.

The civil case has provided an intimate glimpse into Morant's life growing up in a small town in South Carolina and the relationships he built during the five years he lived in Memphis, where he walked the line between local hero and heavy-hitter. public figure under scrutiny. The legal proceedings also included attorneys and witnesses' reconstructions of the confrontation, including basketball passes and simulated punches between Morant and Holloway's attorney.

Wednesday's hearing is based on Morant's request to dismiss the case, saying he acted in self-defense under the state's so-called Stand Your Ground law, which allows people who feel threatened at home to use force in certain situations . The law is used in criminal cases, but Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney's ruling last month cleared the way for Morant's attorneys to try to apply the law in the civil case.

Morant's family has been organizing pick-up games since he was a child growing up in Dalzell, South Carolina. Morant's father, Tee, and mother, Jamie, invited children to play on their field, with Tee cooking post-match meals for everyone. Jamie Morant testified that the Games provided a safe haven that kept young people off the streets.

Morant struggled to attract the attention of top college basketball programs, but he eventually caught on at Murray State, which he led to the second round of the NCAA tournament before the Grizzlies drafted him second overall in 2019.

During opening statements, Morant's attorney Will Perry challenged Holloway's credibility and cast the teenager as the instigator.

Holloway's attorney Rebecca Adelman, meanwhile, has portrayed Morant as a “hero-worshipped” NBA superstar who suffers from a lack of self-control and receives special treatment because of his talent and fame. Referring to the NBA player's support network as a “fix-it team” and “Team Morant,” Adelman said her client “lacks the influence and prosperity of this entire team.”

Holloway was a friend of Morant's sister Teniya, who plays basketball at Mississippi Valley State University. She told the court that she initially invited Holloway to play at her family's home and that he had gained the family's trust through his respectful behavior, but that she now feels betrayed by him.

Holloway, who now plays at Samford University, attended one day of the hearing and did not testify.

Tee Morant testified that on the day of the altercation, he urged Holloway to “go Ja” on the field and that Holloway became frustrated as the day went on.

Holloway “was angry,” said Trey Draper, a basketball coach and former University of Memphis player who participated in some of the pickup games.

Morant and several other people testified that the fight stemmed from a check-ball situation, in which opponents pass the ball back and forth to signal their readiness to play at the start of a game or after made baskets or mistakes.

After rolling the ball together, Morant said he threw a chest pass to Holloway, who threw a one-armed baseball pass to his face. He said his hands were down and the ball hit him.

Morant and Holloway walked toward each other and stood chest to chest. Morant said Holloway punched him in the chest, clenched his fists and got into a fighting stance.

That's when Morant punched Holloway. Witnesses differed on the force of the blow, with one calling it just a “chin check”, but Holloway's lawyers suggested it was more difficult than that.

Former NBA player Mike Miller was watching the games that day. In a statement, he and another witness described the pass as a chest pass, which is common in checkball situations.

“He controlled it with a little bit of aggression,” Miller said of Holloway. Miller called it a “high-intensity situation.”

After Morant punched Holloway, Pack followed with a single punch that knocked Holloway down. Players and spectators rushed to separate the combatants.

“It's chaos,” Draper said.

Adelman asked Morant if he could have behaved differently.

“You could have pushed Joshua,” Adelman said. “You could have talked to him; You could have guided him.”

Witnesses stated that Holloway said he would “light up” the place like fireworks as he was led away.

“It sounded like he was going to shoot up our house,” Teniya Morant said. Holloway never returned to the house, witnesses said.

The judge will decide whether Morant's attorneys fairly made the self-defense argument. If she rules that this is the case, Holloway's lawyers will have to prove that Morant can still be held liable.