The recent allegations against Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant have left many questioning the rising star’s character. Just one month after a group of Morant’s acquaintances allegedly threatened and harassed Indiana Pacers staffers with a red laser, reports have surfaced of the NBA player allegedly punching a teenage boy in the head and threatening him with a gun.
According to Memphis police records obtained by the Washington Post, a 17-year-old told police that Morant had punched him 12 or 13 times during a pickup basketball game at the point guard’s house. The boy also alleged that after the fight, Morant went into his house and returned with a gun visible in the waistband of his paints.
Morant’s agent Jim Tanner criticized the police report as “unsubstantiated rumors and gossip” and said the incident with the teenage boy was purely self-defense. After the allegations were reviewed by local prosecutors, the Shelby County District Attorney’s office declined to file charges due to a lack of evidence.
The allegations come with the same month as a separate incident at a mall, in which Morant was alleged to have threatened the head of security during an altercation in the parking lot. No arrests were made. The incident allegedly occurred after Morant’s mother got into a dispute with an employee at a Finish Line store, then called Morant who arrived to the scene with as many as nine other people.
The Grizzlies have declined comment on the reports and an NBA spokesperson said the league “takes allegations of inappropriate conduct very seriously.”
The troubling allegations against Ja Morant have cast a shadow on the rising star’s reputation. Morant has become a dynamic talent, who regularly goes viral with highlight-reel dunks, and the clear star of the Grizzlies, who are on track to make the playoffs for a third straight year.
It remains to be seen if the NBA will take any action against Morant, but it’s clear that the allegations have tarnished his reputation as one of the league’s brightest young stars.
