Grizzlies star Ja Morant punched teenager during pickup game, exposed gun to him: report

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Ja Morant has been accused of a slew of violent incidents last year, including punching a 17-year-old and then had a gun visible in his waistband.

The Memphis Grizzlies superstar admitted to police he "swung first," but says he acted in self-defense, noting that the boy had become the aggressor by throwing a basketball at Morant's head and lifting up his pants as a sign of "wanting to fight," according to the Washington Post.

Morant, 23, then told police that the boy said he was "gonna come back and light this place up like fireworks." Morant then filed a police report about the boy's comment, citing threats made to his family.

The boy reportedly told police he once considered Morant a mentor and had been invited to play pickup games at Morant's residence in the past.

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Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrates his three-point basket against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first quarter of the game at Target Center on November 30, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  (David Berding/Getty Images)

The two allegedly shared hard passes to one another when checking the ball in, but the boy's pass slipped and hit Morant in the face. That's when Morant put his chin on the boy's shoulder and asked a friend "Do I do it to him?" When the friend replied yes, Morant swung and punched the boy in the jaw.

Morant allegedly punched the boy "12 or 13 times," and his friends added "four or five" more strikes. However, prosecutors did not file charges, saying there was not enough evidence to go to trial.

Four days prior, Morant allegedly "threatened" the head of security at a Memphis mall, and a