Ja Morant has been sued for an incident that happened during a basketball game in July of last year. According to TMZ Sports, the Memphis Grizzlies star allegedly assaulted a 17-year-old while playing a pickup basketball game at the house. The two got into a verbal altercation, and the teenager threw a basketball at Morant “accidentally” hitting him in the face. That’s when Morant allegedly approached him, put a chin on his shoulder and asked a bystander “Should I do it to him?”
The teenager, who filed the lawsuit on Sept. 9, said Morant then struck him “with a closed fist knocking him on the ground.” Per the court documents, the 17-year-old said Morant “continued sticking him while on the ground” and then said another man began hitting him as well. Police said Morant told them he did hit the teenager but insisted he was acting in self-defense. Morant also said his “brother” was involved in the altercation as well.ย
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Morant, 23, and the teenager said the fight was broken up by spectators shortly after it began. Morant told police that the 17-year-old “made verbal threats stating he’d ‘light his house up” as he was being escorted off the property. Police investigated the allegations for several weeks before submitting the case to the district attorney’s office on Oct. 4. Nearly a month later, the district attorney declined prosecution on Morant.ย
The Grizzlies selected Morant No. 2 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. He was named Rookie of the Year in 2020 after he averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists per game. He had a breakout season in 2021-22, averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per contest. His production last season led to him being named an All-Star for the first time and winning the Most Improved Player award. So far this season, Morant has scored 27.2 points while dishing out 8 assists per game, making him one of the top point guards in the NBA.ย
In July 2022,ย Morant signed a five-year contract extensionย with the Grizzlies. The deal is worth at least $193 million but could rise to $231 million. It’s the largest contract the Grizzlies headed out in franchise history.ย
