Morant has not faced charges, claiming self-defense
A friend of Ja Morant, whom the NBA star called his "brother," has been arrested for assault with bodily harm stemming from the July 2022 altercation in which a teenager says in a lawsuit that the All-Star guard and Davonte Pack punched him.
Pack was booked Wednesday into the Shelby County Jail nine days after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Morant and the teen fought one another during a pickup basketball game at Morant's residence after sharing hard passes to one another to check the ball in. The boy's return pass slipped out of his hands and hit Morant in the face.
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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, #12, reacts during the first half in game four of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles April 24, 2023. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Pack admitted in a deposition he had "no reason" to punch the then-17-year-old.
After the fight, the teen, according to Morant, said he was "going to come back and light this place up like fireworks." Morant then filed a police report about the boy's comment, citing threats made to his family. That was when Morant came back outside with a gun, according to the teen, but Morant said that is a claim that is untrue.
The teen "lied to the police about Morant brandishing a weapon and that the key details of the once-sealed case were leaked to the media in violation of a court order," Morant's countersuit said.
Morant admitted he "swung first" but said he acted in self-defense, noting that the boy had become the aggressor by throwing a basketball at Morant's head and lifting up his pants as a sign of "wanting to fight," according to the Washington Post.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, #12, handles the ball in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
Shortly after the allegations, Morant filmed himself in a nightclub where he displayed a gun in the video, an act that left him with an eight-game suspension (he ultimately missed nine while he checked himself into a counseling program).
However, a similar incident left him with a 25-game suspension that will begin at the start of the 2023-24 season.
Pack previously was involved in an altercation with members of the Indiana Pacers that left him banned from FedEx Forum for a year.
Ja Morant, #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies, looks on against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at FedExForum on April 26, 2023 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Pack is scheduled for a court appearance Thursday. No criminal charges have been filed against Morant.
Fox News' Chantz Martin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
