2-time All-Star Ja Morant defended himself during pickup game fight, judge says

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge has ruled that Ja Morant acted in self-defense when a teenager accused the two-time NBA All-Star of punching him during a pickup game at the home of the Memphis Grizzlies guard’s parents in 2022. The judge cited Tennessee law on when the issue of self-defense can be raised. The judge wrote in a ruling issued Monday that Morant has the presumption of civil immunity. Joshua Holloway accused Morant of assaulting him when he was 17. Holloway now plays for Samford University. The judge wrote in her ruling that Holloway was the only provocateur that day, with everyone else just wanting to play basketball.