Davonte Pack, who is a longtime close friend of Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant was arrested Wednesday morning by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee, court records show. A warrant was issued for Pack last week stemming from a fight involving a teenager at the Grizzlies star's home in 2022. Joshua Holloway, now 18, accused Pack and Morant of beating him up during a pick-up basketball game.
At the time of the warrant, the sheriff's office released the following statement:
"The Shelby County Sheriff's Office obtained a warrant for the arrest of Davonte Pack, who has been charged with simple assault in relation to the July 2022 altercation involving Mr. Pack, Memphis Grizzlies basketball player Ja Morant, and a juvenile basketball player at Mr. Morant's residence in Eads. The SCSO consulted with the SCDAG before obtaining the warrant."
Pack's arraignment is set for Thursday.
In April 2022 a Washington Post story detailed a number of controversial incidents in which Morant was accused of harming, or threatening to harm, people. One of them was a pick-up game which turned violent after Morant was hit in the chin with a basketball. Holloway identified himself in the story and said that Morant and Pack attacked him and continued to hit him even after he was on the ground, leaving him with a knot on the side of his head. Holloway filed suit against Morant and Pack in September, while Morant filed a countersuit in April.
No criminal charges have been filed against Morant as a result of the incident.
The NBA recently announced that Morant will be suspended for 25 games at the start of next season in relation to multiple videos that showed him flashing a gun on Instagram Live. One came during the season at a strip club in the Denver area, and resulted in an initial eight-game suspension. The latter happened in the offseason, and after Morant had promised to make better decisions.
"I know I've disappointed a lot of people who have supported me," Morant wrote in May. "This is a journey and I recognize there is more work to do. My words may not mean much right now, but I take full accountability for my actions. I'm committed to continuing to work on myself."
In addition, Morant was investigated during the season for his role in an altercation that happened following a Jan. 29 game between the Grizzlies and Indiana Pacers. Members of the Pacers' traveling party told The Athletic that someone in an SUV that Morant was traveling in shined a red laser at them. They believed it was a gun, but the NBA said it could "not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon."
During that game, the Pacers and Grizzlies exchanged words during a small scuffle, and both Pack and Morant's father, Tee, got involved from the sidelines. Pack was ejected from the game and subsequently banned from FedEx Forum for a year.
