A 25-game suspension from the NBA is somehow the least of Ja Morant's worries right now. Morant will be away from the league until at least early December after a second instance of the young star flashing a gun on Instagram Live. However, Morant is facing other problems off the court as well.
In July 2022, Morant was allegedly involved in a fight with 17-year-old Joshua Holloway during a pick-up basketball game. The police investigated, ruled that Morant had punched Holloway in self-defense, and then closed the case. However, now Morant's friends and family are being pulled into depositions because Holloway has filed a lawsuit in civil court.
If things weren't already bad enough for Morant, it appears that the documents being filed in this suit are intriguing enough to warrant the investigation into him being reopened. Debra Fessenden, who handles public records for Tennessee's Shelby County, told The Washington Post that certain documents relating to the case were no longer publicly available due to an "active investigation."
Lawsuit Reveals New Details On Morant Fight And Gun Incident
Per Holloway's attorneys, their new investigation has revealed affidavits "we now know to be inaccurate" and has accused Morant's legal team of a "lack of accountability." Police closed the case based on the testimony, or lack of testimony, from eight witnesses. Except at least two of those witnesses say they never spoke to the police. Meanwhile, the police used affidavits provided by Morant's legal team, all of which contained similar or near-identical wording.
Another key piece to everything is Davonte Pack, the long-time friend of Morant's. Pack and Morant have been friends since childhood. Furthermore, it was Pack who filmed the second gun incident in May. Pack was present for the 2022 fight but his name was barely present in the police investigation. Additionally, two of the witnesses to the 2022 fight claim to have been in the car during the second gun incident. Both men have reiterated the claim from Morant's camp that the gun was actually lighter.
Unlike Morant, Pack did not claim self-defense in the altercation. In fact, during his May 23 deposition, his response as to whether there was any reason he did not attempt to avoid conflict was “No, there’s really no reason.” As the suit continues, both Holloway and Morant are expected to be deposed in late July.
Ja Morant Allegedly Feels Like The NBA Is Out To "Get Him"
But the new lawsuit isn't the only reason that Morant is making headlines. A few days after receiving the news of his suspension, and issuing yet another generic apology, Morant was reportedly making slightly more heated comments.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Morant's camp felt like the deck was stacked against Morant. “I have heard indirectly that Ja and people close to Ja, perhaps people formerly close to Ja, have this feeling that the NBA is out to get them. That the media is out to get them."
However, the claims were largely met with derision. Many people pointed out that the league is a business that is simply protecting its brand. Furthermore, many others argued that Morant got what he deserved for openly challenging the league the way he did. After all, he could have simply not gone on a live stream holding what appeared to be a gun. He especially could have simply not done that two months after saying he was very sorry for going on a live stream with a gun.