Davonte Pack, close friend of Ja Morant, has criminal assault charges dismissed

Davonte Pack, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant's close friend, had his misdemeanor assault charge dropped Tuesday morning, ending the criminal case tied to punching a teen at Morant's house in July 2022.

An arrest warrant for Pack was issued on July 10 this year, just under a year after an altercation during a pickup basketball game between Pack, Morant and a teenage basketball player named Joshua Holloway.

Pack was arrested nine days after the warrant was granted, and was released on his own recognizance that same day.

His arrest and criminal case have been referenced repeatedly in a civil lawsuit that was filed by Holloway in September 2022. Pack and Morant are co-defendants in that lawsuit, which has had a number of aspects placed on hold while the criminal case made its way through the court system.

One aspect that was not placed on hold, however, is arguments over whether Morant should be granted immunity pursuant to Tennessee's Self-Defense Immunity statute, commonly known as the stand-your-ground law. Pack, though a co-defendant and seemingly represented by the same attorneys as Morant, was not mentioned as part of these hearings.

The affidavit filed in Pack's criminal case points to self-defense as the reason why Morant was not criminally charged alongside Pack.

"Statements from Holloway, Morant and witnesses present all confirm Morant threw one punch, striking Holloway," the affidavit read. "Holloway stated it was unprovoked. Morant stated after Holloway hit him in the face with the basketball, Holloway approached [Morant] in an aggressive manner so [Morant] struck Holloway once to defend himself. Investigators with the Shelby County Sheriff's Office were provided with affidavits from witnesses who were present, essentially supporting Morant's version of events."

Both cases stem from an altercation between the three basketball players that took place during a series of pickup basketball games hosted at Morant's home in Eads. Pack, in depositions released in the civil case, said he punched Holloway during that altercation, knocking him to the ground. It was later insinuated — both during the civil case and in the Shelby County Sheriff's Office's affidavit — that this deposition was the basis of Pack being criminally charged.

The altercation at Morant's house began over a check-ball situation during a pick-up basketball game. According to depositions from witnesses, Holloway rolled the ball to Morant. Morant then threw the ball harder at Holloway's chest. The teen then threw the ball at Morant, hitting him in the face. Attorneys for the two parties have debated whether Holloway's throw was intentional.

The two then approached one another on the court, with witnesses saying Holloway "squared up" and balled his fists when approaching Morant. That was when the Grizzlies star threw a single punch, hitting Holloway, but not knocking him down. After Morant's punch, Pack said he walked up to Holloway and punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground. Witnesses confirmed Pack's account.

In an affidavit, Shelby County Sheriff's deputies wrote that Pack was not identified in the early part of their investigation, but deputies then "received deposition testimony from a civil proceeding. Pack, through deposition testimony taken on 5/23/2023, not only admitted to striking Holloway but further stated that he (Pack) did not feel threatened at the time he struck Holloway in the head area knocking him to the ground."

Multiple people, including Morant's father and mother, have been deposed in the course of the civil case. Morant, however, was not deposed.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Criminal charges dismissed for Davonte Pack, close friend of Ja Morant