Ja Morant’s Friend Arrested for Assault in Connection to Teenager’s Lawsuit

Davonte Pack, a close friend of Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, has been arrested in connection with a July 26, 2022, incident at Morant’s house that has been the subject of civil litigation involving the two-time All-Star.

Pack, 24, was booked into Shelby County Jail on Wednesday on charges of misdemeanor assault.

Joshua Holloway, now 18, filed a lawsuit against Morant when he was 17, describing the NBA player and Pack of having struck him during a pickup game in Eads, an unincorporated Memphis suburb. The lawsuit claims Morant and Pack inflicted “assault, reckless endangerment, abuse or neglect, and infliction of emotional distress” on Holloway, and the two men were deposed in May 2023. According to an arrest warrant for Pack obtained by ESPN, Pack admitted to hitting Holloway during the deposition.

Morant, who has not been charged with any crime, responded by countersuing Holloway for slander, battery and assault in April. He is scheduled to appear in court again Oct. 12, when his legal team is expected to proceed with their argument that Morant acted in self-defense after receiving permission from a Memphis judge to do so.

In addition to his current charges, Pack is currently banned from attending Memphis home games at FedEx Forum for one year stemming from an incident in which he confronted Pacers players after a 112–100 Grizzlies’ win on Jan. 29. Additionally, the second instance of Morant flashing a gun on Instagram Live—the incident on May 14, which earned the point guard a 25-game suspension to start the 2024 season—took place on Pack’s Instagram account.