Ja Morant's Civil Lawsuit Is Ridiculous, But Let's Not Overlook The Fact He Admitted To Throwing First Punch At 17-Year-Old | Mark Harris
The civil lawsuit involving Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant and the 17-year-old he got into an altercation with during a pickup game in July 2022 going to trial is absurd. But it got underway on Monday. It's even more ridiculous that time and resources of the city of Memphis are being used on this while violent crime is running rampant around Bluff City.
Just because the civil case appears to be a circus doesn't mean that Morant should be looked at as some sort of victim. Even if you disregard his moronic decisions last year showing off a gun not once, but twice on Instagram, Morant still admitted that he punched a teenager during his testimony.
Not only did he admit to punching 17-year-old Josh Holloway, but he confirmed that he threw the first punch to "protect myself," which is certainly a bold admission to make when Morant and his legal team are claiming the Grizzlies' point guard was acting in self-defense.
According to Morant, the punch was thrown after Holloway threw a one-handed pass at him during a checkball situation. Morant testified that the basketball was a weapon, and when asked if it was a "lethal weapon" he told the court "it hurt" after claiming it hit him in the face.
During the immunity hearing Morant even stood up to describe how a checkball situation works adding even more ridiculousness to the situation.
Morant testified after the checkball that he asked Holloway, "What you on? Morant said Holloway didn't reply but instead pulled up his shorts.
"Him pulling up his shorts, where I'm from, that's a fighting stance," Morant stated.
Morant said Holloway took a step toward him and that he then stepped up and punched Holloway.
"I hit him first -- to protect myself," Morant said.
It goes without saying that humans do dumb things when emotion takes over, even during pickup basketball games in the driveway like in this case, but Morant has to know better.
At the time of the altercation, Morant was just 22-years-old, but July 2022 was the same month he signed a five-year extension with $197 million guaranteed. He was very much already one of the faces of the NBA and the king of Memphis, yet reacted to a checked ball by punching a minor in the face.
Nobody with a right mind should let Holloway off the hook for allegedly striking Morant in the face with the ball, but that same group of right-minded people should also acknowledge Morant was still very much in the wrong.
Ja Morant answers questions under oath during a hearing about his involvement with a 17-year-old at his Memphis-area home. (USA TODAY)
You can call the trial a sideshow and a cash grab for Holloway, but at the end of the day, a 22-year-old adult threw the first punch at a 17-year-old.
Most in the local and national media are focused on the ridiculousness of the trial and claim the fact that Morant admitting to punching an underage teenager simply doesn't matter.
Maybe it doesn't matter in basketball culture - and in Memphis a punch is a welcomed reaction as opposed to the far too frequent pulling of a trigger - but punching people in the real world is a big deal.
Nothing about this situation involving Morant is admirable, or even acceptable behavior, so let's stop acting like it is.
Follow Mark Harris on X @itismarkharris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com