"Self-defense"

Teenager beaten to the ground: Morant acquitted

Ja Morant was acquitted.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

NBA professional Ja Morant has been acquitted of claims for damages by a court in Tennessee. The Memphis Grizzlies basketball player had been sued by a teenager following an altercation on the sidelines of a private basketball game on Morant's property in July 2022, during which the then 17-year-old plaintiff was knocked to the ground.

The court in Shelby County ruled on Tuesday that Morant had acted in self-defense and had not broken any law in the US state of Tennessee. The provocation had come from the teenager who had thrown a basketball into Morant's face.

Seen in video with a weapon
Morant has been the focus of several investigations in recent years. The NBA suspended him for 25 games this season because he repeatedly handled a weapon in public. The Grizzlies no longer have a chance of making the NBA playoffs this season and are in 13th place in the Western Conference.