Ex-Hornets star Miles Bridges gets 30-game suspension after domestic violence charges
Charlotte Hornets restricted free agent Miles Bridges has been suspended 30 games without pay due to his role in a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his children, the NBA announced on Friday.
The league conducted its own investigation and determined that the suspension was based on “all facts and circumstances of this matter” and considered “the conduct and its result, as well as the outcome of the criminal matter, among other factors,” the league said in a statement.
Bridges did not sign an NBA contract for the 2022-23 season. That means he missed all 82 games. As a result, the NBA has deemed 20 games of his suspension to have been already served.
“If Mr. Bridges signs an NBA contract, he will be required to miss the first 10 games for which he is otherwise eligible and able to play,” the league said.
In November, Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony count of injuring a child’s parent in exchange for three years of probation and no jail time. The charges stemmed from allegations that Bridges assaulted his girlfriend in front of their two children in June, the Los Angeles County (California) district attorney said.
The Hornets released a statement on the matter at 6 p.m. Friday.
“We are aware of today’s decision by the NBA regarding the situation involving Miles Bridges,” the team wrote. “The investigation and ruling were the expected next steps in the process. We will have no additional comments at this time.”
Bridges was drafted by the Hornets with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The 2021-22 season was Bridges’ most productive on the court: He averaged 20.2 points and seven rebounds a game, helping lift then-second-year guard LaMelo Ball to an All-Star season and contributing to a Charlotte play-in game appearance.
In his absence in 2022-23, Charlotte went 27-55.
ESPN reported in December that talks between Bridges and the Hornets were “gathering traction,” and that there was “optimism” that a deal could be reached in the “near future.” But the Hornets later told The Charlotte Observer that the organization had “not been engaged in contract negotiations” with Bridges.
Charlotte Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak told reporters after the season ended — but before Friday’s ruling — that there’s “not really an update” on the Bridges “situation.”
“Even when they complete their investigation, there are going to be steps that need to be taken, whether that’s us or other teams,” Kupchak said. “Because it looks like for certain that this is now going to go over July 1. Maybe there were some who thought that somebody or us would sign him during the season. But that’s not possible. So, this whole issue will roll over to July 1st.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 3:58 PM.
