Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has decided to counter-sue Joshua Holloway, the teen who sued him for punching him. The two-time all-star has accused the teen of slander, battery and assault over a pickup basketball game at Morant's home last July.
Holloway had issued a suit which was amended on March 28 after the teen turned 18. Holloway's amended lawsuit accuses “one or both” Morant and his friend Davonte Pack of punching him even after he went to the ground. He further accused Morant pointed a gun at his hip as he left. According to the lawsuit, Holloway's mother called the police when he arrived home that night.
The lawsuit filed at the Shelby County Circuit Court on Wednesday accused the teen of damaging Morant's reputation and putting him at risk of losing money on both his contract and in potential endorsement deals. It also highlights that the lawsuit was made public and reported nationally even though it was a sealed case and it jeopardizes the player's present and future deals.
The countersuit also accuses the teenager of lying to the police and changing the statement in the amended case. Morant says that he punched the teenager once in the face after being hit on the face with a basketball during the pickup game on July 26 at his house and that hallway also came at him with balled fists.
The two-time all-star also says that he received threats on Snapchat from Halloway prompting him and his family to report the teen's threats to the Shelby County Sheriff's Department on August 8. Ja Morant declined to comment on this latest action when asked about it after practice.
Ja Morant’s reputation is already on the edge as NBA suspended Morant for eight games in March for "conduct detrimental to the league" for displaying a firearm at a suburban Denver club on March 4. This suspension came 11 days after the star had an Instagram live from a strip club in which he also displayed his gun. He was also fined $700,000 to go with the suspension. This scandal and countersuit have damaged his public image further.