Ja Morant Sued For Allegedly Punching Minor, Caused 'Large Knot' On Teen's Head

Blossoming NBA superstar Ja Morant is currently enjoying a great season with the Memphis Grizzlies as one of the top seeds in the Western Conference, but he did have some troubles off the court during the offseason.

TMZ Sports was the first to break the news of Morant being sued over the summer and that while the documents have now been sealed, some disturbing details did emerge.

According to them, the 17-year-old allegedly started the argument when he "accidentally" hit Morant in the face with a basketball during a pick-up game, which prompted a heated Morant to go chest-to-chest with the teen.

Morant then supposedly hit him "with a closed fist, knocking him to the ground" and confirmed it himself to the cops, but was insistent on acting in self-defense.

The teen later claimed that Morant and another man "continued sticking him while on the ground", leading up to the "large knot" on his head that was accounted for by the official documents.

However, Morant later mentioned to the officers that the teen "made verbal threats stating he'd 'light his house up'" while being escorted off the property.

In addition, Morant "advised he and his family were put in fear by the statement."

TMZ noted that the local police in Shelby County took a look into the allegations that were brought up and submitted the case to the district attorney's office on October 4, which had them declining prosecution.

The outlet also noted that "it's unclear what the plaintiff is seeking in the suit."

It now appears that the teenager had started the entire altercation with the Grizzlies superstar leading up to the punch that Morant threw, based on the limited information currently made public.

By the same merit though, Morant could have responded better to the situation as he has a lot more to lose than a teenager that was trying to incite a fight and potentially claim a substantial amount of money through a suit had there been any serious injuries.

The fact that Morant threw a punch has to be concerning for a lot of NBA fans, not for the fact that it could have put him in trouble, but for potentially injuring his hand as a result of the punch.

Memories of Blake Griffin's 2016 incident where he broke his hand after punching a Los Angeles Clippers equipment manager and Amar'e Stoudemire's own 2012 experience when he decided to punch a fire extinguisher case after losing to the Miami Heat 104-94 come to mind.

In a number of ways, Morant is lucky to have avoided such outcomes as it would reflect badly on the Grizzlies' potential this season, but the incident will surely be a topic among NBA message boards in the days to come.