Ja Morant Off the Hook in Pickup Game Lawsuit After Judge Finds Self-Defense

A Tennessee judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed against Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant by a teenager who accused the NBA star of assault during a 2022 pickup basketball game.

Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney issued the ruling Monday, determining that Morant acted in self-defense and is immune from civil liability under Tennessee’s self-defense laws. The suit was brought by Joshua Holloway, now a player for Samford University, who was 17 at the time of the incident.

The altercation occurred in July 2022 at the home of Morant’s parents, where Holloway had been invited to play in a series of pickup games. The lawsuit centered on a moment when Morant punched Holloway in the face. Morant testified that he was reacting to a forceful, one-handed throw of the basketball that struck him in the face — part of a “check-ball” exchange common in pickup games.

During a hearing in December 2023, Morant said he felt threatened when Holloway not only hit him with the ball but also allegedly bumped him, balled his fists, and took a fighting stance. Former NBA player Mike Miller, who was present, supported Morant’s account, saying the basketball to the face “kind of started everything.”

In April 2024, Judge Chumney ruled that Morant was presumed immune from civil liability under Tennessee’s “stand your ground” law, typically applied in criminal cases but extended here to the civil context.

After that decision, it became Holloway’s responsibility to show that Morant did not qualify for immunity. However, in her latest ruling, Judge Chumney found Holloway’s version of events inconsistent and less credible than other witness testimony.

In her written opinion, the judge noted that both parties are public figures in the basketball world and emphasized the importance of using their platforms responsibly.

“This Court sincerely hopes that moving forward they each will be able to spend more of their time on the ‘court’ and less at the ‘courthouse,’” she wrote.