MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The mother of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant shared testimony in a deposition at her son’s immunity hearing Wednesday.
The point guard was not in court Wednesday, but his mother, Jamie Morant, testified via a video deposition about the altercation at her home between her son and then 17-year-old Joshua Holloway.
“The trash talking was going on between Josh (Holloway) and Ja, then Ja’s team won. So, the other team was supposed to check the ball and that’s when the altercation, or whatever you want to call it, happened,” she said.
The hearing is to determine if Morant can claim self-defense when Holloway claims Morant punched him last year during a pick-up basketball game at the home of Morant’s parents.
“Josh eventually picked up the ball because his teammates was like, ‘Come on, man,’ and was like, ‘What you got going on?’ He (Joshua) picked it up, and he didn’t check the ball. He threw the ball at Ja’s face and hit him on the side, the left side of his face right here, and Josh stepped back in the defense mode to fight, and then Ja punched him,” Jamie Morant said.
On Monday, Ja Morant testified that he punched Holloway in self-defense. During another video deposition on Wednesday, the court heard from former Memphis Grizzlies star Mike Miller, who was also at the home the day of the incident.
Miller described Holloway as a “really good kid, really good basketball player.”
He said the altercation as part of a competitive basketball game where Holloway’s chest pass became aggressive.
“The ball got rolled to him (Joshua). He kicked the ball to Ja. Ja kicked it back to him. It was competitive basketball, and then Josh fired the ball to Ja, hitting him in the mouth, and that started everything,” Miller said.
Should Morant and his lawyers prove that he acted in self-defense, the case could possibly be dismissed. If they can’t do so, a trial could begin in April of next year.
The current lawsuit is just one of several off-court issues that Morant has found himself dealing with.
The 24-year-old Grizzlies star is currently near the end of a 25-game suspension. Morant is eligible to return and play for the Grizzlies on Tuesday.