Ja Morant files lawsuit against teenager, alleges he is a victim of battery, assault and slander

Ja Morant has filed a lawsuit against Joshua Holloway, the teenager Morant had an altercation with in a pick-up basketball game and accused Morant of punching him in the face in July.

According to the Daily Memphian's Drew Hill, Morant's countersuit claims that Holloway's suit and allegations have impacted the Grizzlies' star chances of making the All-NBA team along with possibly ending his career by throwing a basketball at Morant's face.

Morant's representatives also said that Morant never flashed a gun in Holloway's direction. His representatives made note of Holloway's Snapchat post that threatened Morant, a detail that was left out of Holloway's previous interview in the Washington Post.

"Ja Morant a b***h and if I catch his ass it’s up," Holloway posted. "I’m on that tonight."

Gus Garcia Roberts, from the Washington Post, reported Holloway accused Morant of hitting him "12-13 times" and causing severe injuries to his head. However, Morant said he did this in self-defense after having the ball thrown at his head.

Morant's attorneys are demanding compensation for the damage done to their client's professional basketball career as it has impacted his earnings because of the media attention garnered by Holloway's accusations.

Ja Morant and outside distraction heading into the playoffs

Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies (51-31) will face LeBron James and the LA Lakers (43-39) in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday.

The lawsuit against Holloway continues the All-Star's off-court distractions that resulted in an eight-game suspension for an incident involving him going live on Instagram with a gun in his hand.

With their first-round matchup set, the last thing the Memphis Grizzlies need is further outside noise as they head into what they hope will be a deep playoff run.

It will be interesting to see how things develop for Ja Morant and the Grizzlies' situation as the All-Star must tend to the lawsuit and the team's championship aspirations.