Memphis Grizzlies star has been issued a subpoena to testify in a civil lawsuit related to a 2022 incident in which he is accused of assaulting a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home. Per court files obtained by ESPN, Morant's parents and close friend, Davonte Pack, have also been issued subpoenas.
The Grizzlies declined to comment.
An initial hearing is set for Dec. 11 in Shelby County, TN., during which Morant's lawyers will seek to dismiss the case by arguing that Morant was acting in self-defense. The hearings will last through at least Dec. 13, and possibly as long as a week. If the case does go to trial, it would begin in April of 2024.
Back in July of 2022, Morant was hosting a pickup basketball game which turned violent after Joshua Holloway, then 17 years old, hit Morant in the chin with a basketball. Holloway accused Morant and Pack of attacking him in the aftermath and continuing to hit him after he was on the ground, which left him with a knot on his head.
The case was criminally investigated by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, which arrested Pack in July and charged him with misdemeanor assault. That charge was later dropped.
In addition to the Holloway episode, Morant was involved in several controversial incidents in the last few years, including allegedly threatening a shoe salesman and brandishing a gun on multiple occasions. He first displayed a gun inside a strip club outside of Denver in March, which resulted in an eight-game suspension and a trip to a counseling program. Just a few months later, however, he once again held a gun on Instagram. The NBA came down hard with a 25-game suspension.
As a result, Morant is yet to play this season. He will be eligible to return on Dec. 19 when the Grizzlies, who are 4-13, take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
