Charlotte Hornets release statement after reports of Miles Bridges’ arrest

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, who planned to enter Thursday as a restricted free agent, was arrested Wednesday in Los Angeles for felony domestic violence, according to TMZ. The NBA organization, which still maintains the right to match any offer for the player this offseason, has now issued a statement on the incident.

“The Charlotte Hornets are aware of the situation involving Miles Bridges,” the statement reads. “We are in the process of gathering additional information. We have no further comment at this time.”

Bridges got into an argument with a woman and it “turned physical,” according to TMZ. Bridges had left the scene by the time police arrived, but the woman needed medical attention. He was held on $130,000 bail and later released.

NBA free agency opens on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, although the recent arrest will likely complicate his ability to sign quickly as an investigation and potential trial loom.

More about Miles Bridges

Bridges was starred at Michigan State from 2016 to 2018 after coming in as a highly touted recruit. In his two years in East Lansing, he averaged 17 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for the Spartans. That earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2017 and a consensus All-American nod in 2018.

Out of high school, Bridges was a five-star prospect and the No. 6 player in the nation from the class of 2016, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Bridges with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but wound up trading the pick to the Charlotte Hornets, where he played the first four years of his career. During his NBA career so far, Bridges has averaged 13.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest in 291 career games — including 188 stars — with Charlotte.

Last year, he turned in his best year yet, scoring 20.2 points and pulling down 7.0 rebounds to help the Hornets to a 43-39 record to sneak into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Charlotte saw its season come to an end against the Atlanta Hawks in the first game of the play-in and recently hired Steve Clifford to serve as the team’s new head coach, replacing James Borrego.