The Wing Guru, a mainstay in the Memphis chicken wing scene, owes Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant more than $365,000 and cannot use his name, image or likeness in advertisements, an arbitrator ruled.
That arbitrator’s ruling came down in August, and Morant’s attorneys are now asking Shelby County Chancery Court to affirm it.
The ruling came after Morant’s attorneys alleged the restaurant had withheld payments from the NBA star about four months after the contract was signed. Even though The Wing Guru was alleged to have stopped paying Morant, the restaurant was still using his likeness, according to the arbitration petition.
Morant signed a contract with The Wing Guru in January 2022 that allowed the company to use Morant’s image for advertising purposes. Under that contract, Morant would be paid $6,250 a month — totaling about $75,000 a year.
When he stopped receiving payments, the petition goes on to say that Morant’s attorneys sent a letter to The Wing Guru in November 2022 asking “the company to true up” to the more than $43,000 that was owed to Morant. The restaurant did not respond, per the petition.
“Mr. Morant followed up via email, to which Wing Guru replied, ‘You guys will get the entire $75k by Jan. 1st. Relax. Thanks for your understanding,'” the petition read. “But Wing Guru made no payments by Jan. 1, 2023, or at any other time.”
The petition acknowledged that the deal between Morant and The Wing Guru was “relatively small,” but said that “the theft and dilution of Mr. Morant’s name and likeness — currently the subject of a signature shoe deal with Nike — constitute astronomical losses.”
According to the petition, The Wing Guru advertised with Morant’s name and likeness in Nashville, Houston and Dallas. At the time of advertising with Morant, the restaurant had recently opened locations in Dallas and Houston.
Neither of those locations appeared on the company’s website as of Monday.
Arbitrator rules The Wing Guru must pay Ja Morant
Along with the injunction, arbitrator Bernice Donald — a retired federal judge — ruled that The Wing Guru must pay a total of $365,525.30 to Morant and granted an injunction against the restaurant using Morant’s identity in the future.
Donald, in a July 23, 2024 ruling, found that The Wing Guru should pay Morant the $43,750 that remained in the contract, $225,000 in compensatory damages ($75,000 for each of the three cities where The Wing Guru used Morant’s likeness) and $31,250 in punitive damages for advertising outside of the contract area. She also said The Wing Guru must pay Morant’s attorney’s fees.
The most recent social media post featuring Morant from The Wing Guru appeared to have been posted on Instagram on Nov. 30, 2022.
The 90-day window for The Wing Guru to ask the court to either remove or alter the damages award passed at the end of November 2024 without any such motion being filed.
Jan 3, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) smiles on the bench during the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
It is unclear whether the damages have been paid, but court records for the petition to affirm the arbitrator’s ruling show that The Wing Guru had not responded after “several attempts” by a process server.
The Wing Guru has a number of athletes as brand affiliates, including Morant’s teammate Jaren Jackson Jr. and current NFL wide receiver Calvin Austin III.
Lucas Finton covers crime, policing, jails, the courts and criminal justice policy for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by phone or email (901)208-3922 and Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, and followed on X @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: The Wing Guru to pay Ja Morant over $365K, barred from using likeness
