Ja Morant's Immunity In Assault Trial To Be Decided Next Year

A ruling as to whether Ja Morant is eligible for immunity under Tennessee's self-defense laws is not expected any time soon, the presiding judge has warned. "Everybody was hoping for a big decision, or finality, or something like that. These are important legal issues." Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Carol Chumney told The Commercial Appeal. According to Judge Chumney, she needs more time with the case due to the lack of precedent. While Tennessee has stringent self-defense laws, they have never been applied to a civil case like the one Morant is facing.

Morant has been sued by Joshua Holloway, who claims that Morant assaulted him when Holloway attended a pick-up game at Morant's home. Morant has countered that he was defending himself as Holloway hit him in the face with a basketball. Furthermore, Morant's lawyers have argued that this qualifies Morant for immunity from prosecution under state law. The ongoing trial has played out in the background as Morant made his return to the NBA this week.

Ja Morant Reflects On Suspension, Shines In Return

Morant made his 2023/24 debut earlier this week, helping seal a win for the adrift Grizzlies. Prior to the game, he had reflected on the 25-game suspension he received for flashing a gun on Instagram. Amid some wider comments, Morant said there had been some "horrible days". However, Morant accepted that simply returning to the Grizzlies wasn't going to be enough for a lot of people. "I can't, you know, make nobody believe me outside of my actions. So me answering this question with just words probably won't mean nothing to nobody," Morant told reporters.

Morant scored 34 points in his season debut as the Grizzlies improved to 7-19 and snapped a five-game losing streak. "I feel like it was the perfect ending, perfect day," Morant said of his game-winning buzzer-beater that sealed a massive, 24-point comeback from the Grizzlies. After the game, Morant signed his jersey and gifted it to LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was sat courtside. Daniels was recently named the 2023 Heisman Winner for his monumental season leading the Tigers. However, Daniels will not play in LSU's ReliaQuest Bowl game against Wisconsin on New Year's Day. Instead, Daniels will skip the game to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.

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