Grizzlies Star Accused Of Punching 17-Year-Old, Flashing Gun — Report

AP Photo/Karen Pulfer Focht

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was accused of punching a 17-year-old in the head and then flashing a gun after the altercation.

In police records obtained by The Washington Post, Morant got into two different blow-ups in the summer of 2022. The head of security at a Memphis mall told police Morant “threatened” him when the two were in the parking lot. A member of Morant’s entourage allegedly shoved the man in the head, and the security guard and the security guard filed a report to the police.

Four days later, Morant and his friend allegedly punched a 17-year-old in the head after the two played a basketball game at Morant’s house. The boy was left with a “large knot” on his head, according to the police report.

The young boy told police that Morant went into his house and came back out with a gun around the waistband of his pants. When authorities interviewed the Grizzlies’ star, he told them it was in self-defense.

“I swing first,” Morant said to the police. He claims the first act of violence happened when the boy threw the basketball at the side of Morant’s head. “The ball was to me, the first hit,” Morant said.

Police did not ask Morant about the gun, but they did mention that the teenager accused him of flashing the weapon.

Morant accused the 17-year-old of shouting, “I’m gonna come back and light this place up like fireworks.” Weeks after the altercation, the Grizzlies’ star filed a police report accusing the teenager of threatening his family.

The Shelby County District Attorney declined to press charges and, in a statement, said: “that there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case.”

Morant was involved in an investigation done by the NBA when Morant and members of his entourage reportedly drove a car up to a loading dock at FedEx Forum in Memphis to intimidate members of the Indiana Pacers staff, according to The Athletic. A red laser was reportedly pointed at the staff from the car.