JA MORANT’S FRIEND ARRESTED OVER 2022 FIGHT AT ALLSTAR’S HOME

MEMPHIS, Tenn.

(AP) — A close friend of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been arrested on a misdemeanor warrant over a fight during a pickup basketball game at the player’s home last year.

Davonte Pack, whom Morant has referred to as “my brother,” was booked Wednesday into the Shelby County Jail 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 Pack punched him. The warrant was issued July 10 for the 24-yearold Pack. That was the same day Morant’s lawyers argued in civil court that the teen’s lawsuit against Morant should be dismissed because the guard acted in self-defense after the teen threw a basketball that hit Morant in the chin. Pack was scheduled for a court appearance yesterday. No criminal charges have been filed against Morant. Morant’s accuser was 17 when the lawsuit was filed. It accuses Morant and Pack of assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress. An amended complaint identified the plaintiff as Joshua Holloway, who is now 18.

Morant filed a countersuit accusing Holloway of slander, battery and assault.

The NBA suspended Morant for 25 games after a second video of him flashing a handgun was posted online. The video of Morant while sitting in the passenger seat of a car was posted after he served an eight-game suspension in March for livestreaming himself flashing a handgun in a Denver-area strip club. Morant apologised for both incidents.