Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has filed a countersuit against the teenager who alleged the point guard assaulted him during a basketball game.
First reported by the Daily Memphian, Morant’s attorneys said their client is a “victim of slander, battery and assault.” He’s seeking compensatory damages because he feels the negative attention brought on by the “Counter-Defendant’s lie” cost him All-NBA recognition, which alters the maximum amount players can receive for “supermax” contracts.
In July 2022 – in the middle of what would become a controversial summer for the star point guard – Morant invited 17-year-old Joshua Holloway to his home to play basketball. Holloway alleged that while playing, he passed the ball to Morant and the ball hit him in the face. Morant felt the throw was aggressive, so the two came face-to-face before Morant and his friend began attacking Holloway.
Morant, on the other hand, has insisted he acted in self-defense. According to the countersuit, Holloway intentionally threw the ball at Morant’s face out of frustration. Then, the suit says, Holloway “balled up his fists and walked aggressively toward Mr. Morant as if to attack him.”
They added that Holloway’s actions could have been “career ending” for Morant if his nose or eyes were significantly injured from the ball.
Holloway has also claimed that Morant brandished a gun at some point during their altercation. Morant denies this and asserts that Holloway was the one that made threats to his life.
The countersuit alleges that Holloway threatened to “light (Mr. Morant’s) house up like a firework show.” Holloway allegedly made additional threats via Snapchat.
The countersuit also references an Amended Complaint that Holloway filed March 28. In it, the suit says, Holloway changed his story after initially claiming Morant and his friend kicked him while he was on the ground.
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