There have been many trials and tribulations for Ja Morant, and they were due to actions that would have been irresponsible from anyone, let alone the franchise player for an NBA team. As Morant is off suspension and back playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, his incident with a teenager over a pickup game at his house is coming back to haunt him as bodycam footage of the police interview with the teen is making its rounds on the internet.
The video details the circumstances surrounding the teen who caught the beatdown and how Morant and his friends allegedly did not defuse a situation that could have been avoided.
The Bodycam Interview
“Basketball Player, Ja Morant. Like Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant,” the teen starts as he began to explain the circumstances leading up to his altercation with Morant to police.
“So a grown ass man just hit you in the face? Why?” the police officer asked him-
“Yes, they jumped me,” the teen responded. “I think because we was talking (trash), his Dad, he didn’t want to take a liking to me. It was like, just because that’s him, don’t take a liking to me. We’re playing competitive, just talking trash to each other; that’s what basketball players do. So he took the ball, and he kicked the ball on my legs. The ball goes all the way over here,” the teen pointed to the far right of his legs.
“Somebody [grabs the] ball, OK like this,” placing the ball at the teen’s feet, “‘check up,’ you got to hit it” the teen continued showing the himself rolling the ball back. “Then he picked up the ball and threw it as hard as he can straight at me. I caught it and threw it right back at him. Then he put the ball down, and he came up like this on me,” the teen said mimicking Morant walking up for a face-to-face confrontation.
“He was like, ‘should I hit him?’ So I was like, ‘hit me then,’ Then bam he hit me. He went back, so I tried to swing and then his friend came over and hit me. I fell on the ground and they just started jumping on me … like, the next 20 seconds.
“You just get up and leave?” the police asked.
“Yeah, everybody was holding me back,” the teen finished.
The police came over to physically examine the damage the teen took and while looking him over with a flashlight, said, “he’s got a big old goose egg on the back of his head.”
The next part of the video you can hear the police getting ready to go to Morant’s house saying, “Like we’re about to go have to arrest Ja Morant.”
A Case Of Morant’s Maturity
The Shelby County DA’s Office also released a statement about the alleged assault when it happened in January explaining why they were not pursuing charges against Morant.
“The DA’s office is aware of the incident, and after a careful review of the facts, decided that there was not enough evidence to proceed with a case.”
Morant returned from his eight-game suspension on March 20. He was handed the suspension from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on March 15 for conduct detrimental, a ban that included the games he had already missed.
For many in sports, entertainment, and the media, Morant has a long way to go before he changes his past behavior. His critics range from Patrick Beverley to Ja Rule and Skip Bayless, who has pointed out hardcore rap music as the lifestyle script Morant is attempting to live out. From the teen’s story, Morant’s maturity at this stage will always be the issue at the front and center.
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