Ja Morant recently took the stand in court, recounting an incident from last year when he struck a young teenager in the face during a casual pickup game.
During his testimony, Morant revealed that the teenager made physical contact by bumping him in the chest, clenching his fists, and getting into a fighting posture. The legal action in question was initiated by Joshua Holloway, who was 17 years old when this brief altercation occurred during a basketball match held at the court at Morant’s parents’ residence.
Holloway has leveled accusations of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and causing emotional distress against Morant and his close associate, Davonte Pack.
Morant stated that both he and Pack delivered single punches to Holloway, with Pack’s strike causing Holloway to fall to the ground. Additionally, he asserted that he acted in self-defense, explaining that the incident occurred when Holloway threw the ball at him, striking him in the chin during a “check-ball” situation. In this context, a “check” refers to a typical practice in pickup games where two opposing players pass the ball to each other to ensure their teammates are prepared, often before commencing a game or following a foul.
While giving his testimony, Morant recreated the altercation with the assistance of his attorney, Keenan Carter, and Holloway’s lawyer, Rebecca Adelman. Both legal representatives utilized basketballs they had brought into the courtroom for this purpose. Adelman and Morant recreated the “check ball” situation during the proceedings, with Adelman tossing the ball back to Morant, who successfully caught it. Following Adelman’s request, Morant extended his arm to demonstrate how he punched Holloway, bringing his fist within inches of the lawyer’s face.
Nevertheless, Morant’s immunity hearing is scheduled to continue until at least December 13th.
