Ja Morant has been spotted working out in the gym as the start of the NBA season draws closer. Morant will miss the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season as he serves as suspension for his second offense of flashing a gun on Instagram Live. It's the second piece of offseason footage we have of Morant. In late August, an Instagram user posted clips of Morant working out with David Roddy and GG Jackson.
Morant is expected to return on December 23, the first in a four-game Christmas road trip for the Grizzlies. However, the 2022/23 two-seed will have to find a way to stay competitive without their star player for the first almost-third of the season. With the Western Conference becoming increasingly stack during the offseason, it's hard to say where the Grizzlies will be when Morant returns to the team.
More Legal Trouble For Morant?
However, Morant's legal troubles might just be beginning. In July 2022, Morant reportedly got into an altercation with Joshua Holloway, who was 17 at the time. Holloway had been attending a pick-up game at Morant’s home in Tennessee. There, he claims he was assaulted by Morant and Morant’s friend Davonte Pack. An initial investigation was opened and quickly closed, with no charges filed. However, a Washington Post report, released alongside a civil suit filed by Holloway, revealed a lot of questionable details in the original investigation. Morant is now embroiled in that suit, which alleges assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress. However, Morant has filed a countersuit for slander, battery, and assault.
Per court filings from July, Morant’s team is arguing that Morant has immunity under Tennessee’s Stand Your Ground law. This allows an individual to act with force in self-defense if threatened on their own property. This stems from the claim that Morant only hit Holloway after Holloway struck Morant in the chin with a basketball. While Morant’s team has claimed that this was deliberate, Holloway’s team has argued that the then-teenager was simply performing a “ready check”. However, it is important to clarify that Morant’s team does not deny that Morant did indeed hit Holloway. Instead, it’s the circumstances and reasons for the assault that they dispute. The judge has set a hearing date of October 12 to hear the motion.
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