A lawsuit accusing Ja Morant of assault during a 2022 pickup game has been dismissed, with a Tennessee judge ruling that the Memphis Grizzlies guard acted in self-defense, according to ESPN.
Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney issued the decision on Monday, concluding that Morant was immune from civil liability in the case brought by Joshua Holloway, then a 17-year-old high school student and now a sophomore basketball player at Samford University.
The incident occurred in July 2022 at the home of Morant’s parents, where a day of pickup games ended with Morant punching Holloway in the face.
According to court testimony, Morant reacted after Holloway threw the basketball at his face with force during a check-ball exchange — a common routine to restart play in pickup basketball.
Morant testified in a December 2023 hearing that the teen also bumped him in the chest and assumed a fighting stance, prompting the All-Star to defend himself.
Chumney’s ruling stated that Morant “enjoys a presumption of civil immunity” under Tennessee law, which includes a version of the “stand your ground” statute allowing residents to use force when they perceive a threat at home.
The ruling followed a prior finding in April 2024 that allowed Morant’s legal team to apply the law to the civil case, which is more commonly used in criminal court.
Holloway later testified that Morant was the aggressor and that the punch constituted excessive force, but the judge determined that Holloway’s version of events was not credible.
Former NBA player Mike Miller, who witnessed the altercation, supported Morant’s account, saying Holloway throwing the ball at Morant “kind of started everything.”
