Why is Ja Morant appearing in court days before his season debut? Closer look at reported lawsuit

Ja Morant is set to make his season debut for the Memphis Grizzlies on December 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans. He is still off the court, serving his 25-game suspension. However, Morant has a court date before then.

Morant and his father are scheduled to testify in court as he faces a civil action. The lawsuit stems from an incident in July 2022. According to the court documents, Morant got into a fight during a pick-up basketball game at his house.

During the game, Morant punched teenager Joshua Holloway. Morant has not spoken publicly about the event. The lawsuit was not a factor in Morant's suspension by the NBA.

Morant’s lawyers argue that the NBA star acted in self-defense during the altercation. Morant’s close friend, Davonte Pack, will also testify.

The case will be heard again this week (December 11–13) on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Morant will appear in court on one of the three dates listed above. Despite his suspension, Morant continues to travel with the Grizzlies.

Adam Silver comments on Ja Morant

NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about Ja Morant this week during the In-Season Tournament. He had high praise for Morant’s cooperation during his 25-game suspension.

Silver said he has a planned check-in with Morant before his potential return to the floor. Silver said Morant has hit all the benchmarks so far during his time away from action.

"We've, together, laid out a program for him over the last several weeks, and to the best of my knowledge, he's complied with everything he's been asked to do," Silver said. "As I said, we'll talk at least once this week before he comes back, and we will review the program and make sure the conditions are in place for him to be successful going forward."

Morant was suspended for flashing guns on social media. His conduct was determined to be "detrimental,” and the Grizzlies suspended him indefinitely following the second gun-related incident. The NBA then suspended him for 25 games following their investigation.

The first incident involved Morant flashing a gun in an IG Live video while he was in a strip club in Denver. He was on an eight-game suspension after that and was sent to a counseling program.

The second incident came two months later, in May. A video of Ja Morant flashing a gun while riding in a car with his friend was also streamed online. Morant was then hit with a 25-game ban.