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NBA: Grizzlies star Morant accused of punching teen, agent says incident 'self-defense'

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Agence France-Presse

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was accused in police reports last year of punching a 17-year-old, US media reported Wednesday, but his agent saying the rising NBA star acted in self-defense.No criminal charges were filed against Morant in the incident, which took place during a pickup basketball game at Morant&#x27;s Tennessee house in July 2022.In police records obtained by the Washington Post , the unnamed teenaged boy accused Morant of punching him &quot;12-13 times&quot; during a pickup basketball game at Morant&#x27;s Tennessee house in July 2022.In interviews with police, the teen said that after their altercation Morant went into his house and &quot;re-emerged with a gun visible in the waistband of his pants.&quot;Morant told police he &quot;swung first&quot; but felt he was acting in self-defense after the teenager threw a basketball that hit him in the head, later making a comment that Morant found threatening.Morant&#x27;s agent Jim Tanner strongly denied in a statement issued Wednesday that the player had a gun.&quot;The July 26 incident was purely self-defense,&quot; Tanner said in a statement that was posted on Tandem Sports and Entertainment&#x27;s Twitter feed.&quot;Again, this was fully investigated by law enforcement, they came to the decision not to charge Ja with any crime.&quot;Any of the dozens of witnesses will confirm Ja acted in self-defense and that he did not have a firearm.&quot;Days before that incident, the head of security at a Memphis mall told police he felt &quot;threatened&quot; by Morant and a group of his associates after an incident in the shopping center&#x27;s parking lot.Although a police report was made, no charges were filed.TMZ reported in January that the teenager and his mother had sued Morant, and Tanner called it &quot;disturbing that unsubstantiated rumors and gossip are being put out by people motivated to tear Ja down and tarnish his reputation for their own financial gain.&quot;Morant, the second overall pick in the 2019 draft and a two-time All-Star, was embroiled in controversy in early February, when the NBA investigated allegations by the Indiana Pacers that Morant&#x27;s entourage &quot;aggressively confronted&quot; members of their traveling party, possibly pointing a red laser at them.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant was accused in police reports last year of punching a 17-year-old, US media reported Wednesday, his agent saying the rising NBA star acted in self defense.