The NBA has announced suspensions for the players involved in the Feb. 9 fight in the game between the Detroit Pistons and Charlotte Hornets.

Isaiah Stewart was suspended for seven games, Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate were suspended for four games and Jalen Duran was suspended for two games. 

The fight happened in the third quarter of the game. Duran drove to the basket and received a hard hit from Diabate. Duran expressed his anger to Diabate, who punched Duran. This sparked a fight that took a minute to fully stop.

Bridges attempted to defend his teammate and attempted to hit Duran. Stewart saw this and started to punch Bridges. 

Stewart received the longest suspension for several reasons. First, he wasn’t in the game at the time the fight broke out. NBA rules strictly prohibit players from stepping onto the court during a fight. The press release for the suspension said that Stewart’s history of violent behavior on the court also contributed to his lengthy suspension. This is Stewart’s fifth time being suspended. 

Lamelo Ball and Tre Mann were seen stepping on the court during the fight. Generally, this is supposed to lead to a one-game suspension. However, they left the playing area immediately upon request, so the league decided to be lenient with them. 

The players will serve the first game of their suspensions on Feb. 11. Since this suspension falls during the All-Star break, Stewart will be suspended until March 3. 

Although Duran will also be suspended through All-Star weekend, this suspension does not affect his eligibility for the All-Star game. Duran was named an All-Star for the first time in his career and will represent Team USA-A with his teammate Cade Cunningham. He will be eligible to return to regular-season play on Feb. 21.

Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball responded to rumors surrounding his future in North Carolina.

The 24-year-old was reportedly open for a trade on Thursday following frustration within the team, according to Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. However, Ball responded to the rumor by posting a clown emoji on social media.

On Friday, he spoke to reporters and dismissed the report.

“He never heard that come from me,” Ball said. “Source is not from me, so it’s false info. Got to let him know. I really don’t like commenting back on stuff, but when it gets too big, you’ve got to say something.”

Ball is beginning his sixth season with the Hornets. He is averaging 21.2 points per game after 10 matches, where he’s been nursing an ankle injury. Charlotte is enduring another difficult start to the season, beginning the 2025-26 campaign 4-12 entering Sunday.

Since Ball’s arrival, the Hornets have yet to make the playoffs and have finished with fewer than 30 wins in the last three seasons. In Ball’s first two years, Charlotte twice finished 10th but lost both times in the play-in tournament.

“I love being here,” Ball said. “I ain’t saying nothing, I’m just trying to win. That’s what we’re going to keep doing.”

The Hornets will play two home NBA Cup games this upcoming week: first against the New York Knicks on Wednesday and then against the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

Mark Williams is officially being traded, barring another failed physical, from the Charlotte Hornets to the Phoenix Suns, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported during Wednesday night’s NBA draft.

In return, the Hornets received the 29th pick in the draft, along with a 2029 first-round pick. The 2029 pick will be the least favorable of the Cleveland Cavaliers’, Utah Jazz’s and Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round picks and is 1-5 protected, sources said. Additionally, the Suns sent guard Vasilije Micić to the Hornets, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. He was just sent to the Suns in February in the Jusuf Nurkic trade. Micic’s $8.1 million team option will be exercised by the Suns, sources said.

It was an interesting move by the Suns, as they will also center Khaman Maluach from the Houston Rockets’ No. 10 pick on Wednesday. The pick was originally the Suns’, then was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, who then traded it to the Houston Rockets, who then sent it back to the Suns in the trade for Kevin Durant on Sunday, along with Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and five second-round picks. So, the Suns gained two new centers in a matter of minutes.

“Mark has been in the league for a couple of years, and I’m going to learn a lot from him,” Maluach said. “I’m going to learn how to navigate and how to get better and what stuff I need to do to be able to play throughout the whole year and get better.”

Williams was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in February after the team sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks in the Luka Doncic trade. However, that Williams trade was rescinded when there were “multiple issues” that came up in his physical before joining Los Angeles. Williams was shocked and confused when he learned he failed the physical.

The Hornets already drafted Duke guard Kon Knueppel with the No. 4 pick on Wednesday. The Hornets used the No. 29 pick to select guard Liam McNeely out of UConn.

Memphis Grizzlies’ rookie Jaylen Wells was taken off on a stretcher during the Grizzlies’ 124-100 win over the Charlotte Hornets, likely ending his season.

Wells was undercut by Hornets rookie KJ Simpson while going up for a dunk. Wells flipped mid-air and landed full speed on his wrist and head. The play, while incredibly dangerous, appeared to be accidental from Simpson.

Wells was on the ground for several minutes before exiting the arena on a stretcher. Simpson was assessed a flagrant foul and ejected from the game.

The game was delayed for 23 minutes while officials reviewed the play and gave both teams time to warm up.

Wells’ agent told ESPN that he is “awake, alert, and moving his extremities” after the fall. Wells also posted on his Instagram Story after the game with the caption, “Go Grizz.” Wells suffered a broken wrist from the fall.

Wells has been a second-round gem out of Washington State for the Grizzlies and has remained in rookie of the year conversations throughout the season. On the season, Wells averages 10.4 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball has been plagued by the injury bug early in his career. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle and right wrist, Ball is now likely to miss the remainder of the season.

Ball is expected to return to basketball activity in the next four to six weeks and make a full recovery, according to the team.

Ball reportedly was playing through pain for weeks prior to the procedures. Both Ball and the team doctors decided the best course of action was to proceed with surgery.

Ball has had surgery on his right ankle before. In 2023, he underwent a procedure to repair a broken ankle.

Ball’s injury issues have followed him throughout his career. He has missed 30 games or more in four of his five seasons. In his last three years, Ball hasn’t played more than 47 games in a single season.

Before his injuries this season, Ball was averaging 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Injuries have been a primary factor in the Hornets’ struggle this season. Second-year rising star Brandon Miller hasn’t played since January 15. The Hornets are currently 19-57, sitting only ahead of the Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conference standings.

With Ball out for the remainder of the year, the Hornets will turn their focus to the offseason, where they will cross their fingers and hope for the first overall pick and Cooper Flagg to fall into their lap.

A week after being traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets, rookie Dalton Knecht played 17 minutes and put up 10 points in Utah – for the Lakers.

The trade, which sent Knecht, Cam Reddish, and a first-round pick to Charlotte for center Mark Williams, was widely seen as tilted in the Hornets’ favor. Two days after it went through, the Lakers pulled out, claiming that Williams had failed his physical.

Williams, 23, has played just 85 games of his first three seasons due to injury. At an even seven feet, though, he promised to fill a front-court need for the Lakers, and in the games he has played this year, he has been effective. Despite the Hornets’ floundering, especially in the past month, Williams has maintained averages of 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

The primary risk of the trade for the Lakers was always Williams’ health. The Lakers have not revealed the specific issues with the physical, but according to ESPN, the decision was based on “multiple issues,” not the back injury Williams has dealt with.

Now, the Hornets are challenging the Lakers’ decision to pull out. But it doesn’t seem likely the challenge will be successful.

“My understanding is that the Lakers are not concerned about it,” said Lakers beat writer Jovan Buha on the podcast NBA Daily.

“And that basically, as long as they can prove why they rescinded the trade and why they feel the way that they feel about his medicals, they have a 99-percent chance of the trade staying rescinded and not being reversed.”

Besides the awkwardness of the situation, though, the primary consequence of the trade is for Williams’ market value. Williams, who hits restricted free agency following this season, will now increasingly be labeled injury-prone and high-risk, which may cost him millions of dollars.

The Hornets play the Lakers on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Lakers finalized a trade Wednesday night to acquire Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams in exchange for Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, a 2031 first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap. Williams will likely step into the role recently vacated by star big man Anthony Davis.

Williams, standing well above seven feet tall, will give the Lakers much-needed size after they sized down their starting five to acquire Luka Doncic. Many regard the trade for the Slovenian superstar as a supremely wise long-term decision, but it did give Los Angeles gaps to fill in the paint on defense. Williams should do some of the work to make up the difference.

In his third season with the Hornets, Williams has appeared in 23 games and is currently scoring 15.6 points with 9.6 rebounds per game. With his improved scoring, he is on track to have the best season in his short career. He is an ideal replacement for Davis, a young big man slowly but surely finding his way in the NBA. The team has shifted its focus from building around LeBron James to preparing for Doncic to eventually take over. Williams could be an excellent long-term addition.

Adding a lesser-known big man as massive, splashier trades occur around the league this week may diminish the impact of the move. But adding a big man ahead of a presumptive playoff run could easily prove integral to any playoff success the Lakers have. Doncic and James have both proven that it’s immensely hard to carry a team to a championship alone. They’ll need help, particularly in areas where they don’t typically contribute.

While Los Angeles prepares a new system around James and Doncic, the Hornets, currently 12-36, have struggled to build around star point guard LaMelo Ball. This trade could help matters in the long run, however. Reddish has not panned out as a reliable starter over the course of six NBA seasons, but Knecht has shown flashes of potential in his rookie year, scoring 9.4 points per game.

The Charlotte Hornets announced that head coach Steve Clifford would move on to a front-office role in the franchise following the conclusion of this NBA season after he finishes coaching their final few games.

Clifford informed his players and assistants of the news last week.

Clifford, 62, had approval from the Hornets’ executive vice president of basketball operations, Jeff Peterson and co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin to return as coach next season. Still, Clifford decided he wasn’t prepared to commit to the grind of being an NBA head coach for another season.

“This is the appropriate time for me to step down,” Clifford said in a statement released by the team. I believe this is best for me and the organization. I’m excited about the future of the Hornets—our young core of players, Jeff’s leadership of our basketball operations and Rick and Gabe’s vision for the organization. I want to thank all the Hornets players and staff for their work the past two seasons and our Hornets fans for their continued support of our team.”

With the number two pick in the NBA draft, the Hornets’ coaching job becomes more appealing to head coach prospects with the emergence of Brandon Miller, Lamelo Ball and a core of other young rising stars and future first-round picks to build a strong roster.

Assistant coaches Charles Lee in Boston, Jordi Fernandez in Sacramento, Chris Quinn in Miami and Kevin Young in Phoenix are among the top candidates.

The Hornets, 20-60 and eliminated from playoff contention, had the NBA’s third-most missed games due to injuries this season. Ball, their leading scorer, played only 58 games for Clifford in the past two seasons.

“Dating back to our time together in Brooklyn, I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for Coach Cliff, and I understand his decision to step down,” Peterson said in a statement. “His basketball knowledge, teaching ability and work ethic are well-respected throughout the NBA. He has had to endure some challenging circumstances the past two years, and yet our players have continued to compete, work hard and develop. On behalf of the entire Hornets organization, I want to thank Steve for all his efforts, and we look forward to having him remain a part of the organization.”

Clifford, an NBA head coach in Charlotte and Orlando, has a 337-457 record and four trips to the Eastern Conference playoffs across ten seasons.

According to new court documents, Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges had criminal charges against him dropped.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg County Court revealed that due to “insufficient evidence,” Bridges would not be formally charged with any crime related to a domestic violence incident that occurred almost two years ago. The 2023 charges included violating a protection order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property.

According to authorities, the woman who accused the NBA player didn’t give a clear account of the whole story, which led to the court confirming that they would not be able to proceed with a trial.

Bridges’ attorney, Allen C. Brotherton, released a statement after the charges were dropped, telling CNN: “The evidence was going to show Miles was innocent and we were going to win a trial. Our local prosecutor has great integrity, and people should appreciate the courage to do the right thing.”

This revelation comes as Bridges is already bouncing back from missing all of the 2022-2023 NBA season due to domestic violence charges. The young player is averaging 21.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season, third in scoring for the struggling Hornets. The team sits at 13-41 as of Thursday night. 

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was helped off the court after an awkward ground landing during a game against the Orlando Magic. 

The incident occurred right before halftime when Ball went for a layup against Paolo Banchero.

After Ball came back up, he was helped to the locker room by staff. 

The Hornets later confirmed that Ball had a right ankle strain and wouldn’t return to the game. The Hornets ended up losing to the Magic 130-117.

Prior to the injury, Ball was averaging 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the previous nine games before the Orlando Magic game. Despite this, the Hornets are 5-10, making them 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is facing another arrest warrant for violating a protection order, 11 months after pleading no contest to a felony domestic abuse charge. Bridges was given three years of probation but is now accused of retaliating against the mother of his two children by breaking the windshield of her car in front of her house.

According to the summons order, Bridges threw billiard balls at the windshield of the woman’s car while the children were still inside it. He also allegedly “told the police he would take everything from her and withhold child support” and that he “allowed his current girlfriend to yell, scream and kick the victim’s car while the children were inside it.”

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department reportedly claims that the warrant was first issued in January, and a criminal summons was issued Wednesday for the protection order violation, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property.

Bridges was first arrested in June 2022 after assaulting Mychelle Johnson in front of their two children in an incident that she claimed involved strangulation and beating to the point of concussion, multiple fractures and bruising. As the court case proceeded, Bridges had to miss the 2022-23 season, one in which he was expected to improve upon his career-high numbers from the year prior.

After pleading no contest and receiving his probation sentence, Bridges began to take steps to rejoin the Hornets ahead of the 2023-24 season. With 20 games served of his 30-game suspension, he could return after ten games this season. At a press conference in July this year, Bridges apologized for his conduct and said that he intended to improve going forward.

“I want to apologize to everybody for the pain and embarrassment that I have caused everyone, especially my family,” Bridges said. “This year away I’ve used to prioritize going to therapy and becoming the best person I can be — someone that my family and everyone here can be proud of.”

It is unclear if Bridges was aware of a pending arrest warrant issued in January, and he has not yet commented on the new accusations that he was near Johnson’s residence and vandalized her vehicle. If proven guilty, Bridges’ current probation sentence could be lengthened or revoked altogether in favor of harsher punishment, up to and including time in prison.

The Charlotte Hornets go with Alabama’s Brandon Miller over G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson, as there were mixed opinions about the selection. The 20-year-old has already faced the heat from his team’s fans, without even stepping on the court. Miller made a bold response to those that booed on draft night during an interview with a local Charlotte sports program.

“​​To the ones who are booing, I’ll just let you know we’re gonna get a lot of wins this year, definitely,” he told Charlotte Sports Live. “We’re gonna try to hold up that big trophy at the end. I’m just gonna have a lot of winners around me.”

Many were speculating on who Michael Jordan and the Hornets would prefer, the 6’9″ small forward/shooting guard or the 19-year-old 6’2″ point guard Henderson, who was drafted the pick after by the Portland Trail Blazers. Jordan was also in the news for other reasons, as he is selling his majority stake in the Hornets, but was still part of the off-season process for Charlotte (including the NBA Draft).

There was speculation on a potential heavy internal debate about the two, but Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak stands by his and the team’s decision, saying there was “100 percent consensus” on the choice.

“Obviously, there were two players that were heavily considered for that position. Brandon was the favorite all along,” Kupchak said after their selection. “It wasn’t the easiest decision, but Brandon was our favorite all along. A lot of spirited discussions the last three or four days, which I welcome, and it’s good for the basketball department to discuss pros and cons.”

Miller and Henderson were brought back to Charlotte for a second round of workouts and interviews, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, before the franchise ultimately settled on the SEC’s Freshman and Player of the Year last season. Miller also won the SEC tournament’s MVP award and was named a second-team All-American.

“I know we are going to go in and have as much fun as we can in Charlotte,” Miller said, as he will try to turn around a Charlotte squad that went 27-55 last season.

Miller averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 43% from the field and 38% from 3-point range for the Crimson Tide. Pairing up with LaMelo Ball, who was the third overall pick in 2020, Miller projects as a shooting guard with P.J. Washington and Gordon Hayward.

“Melo is my guy,” Miller said. “I think with Melo, as good of a point guard as he is, I just kind of fill in the place [on the court]. And I know he is going to be the big brother for me away from home.”

Off the field, there is another issue with Miller, as his name surfaced in court testimony in the capital murder case of former Alabama player Darius Miles and another man, Michael Davis, who is charged in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris on Jan. 15. According to a police officer involved in the case, he testified that “Miles texted Miller asking him to bring Miles’ gun in the early morning hours of the shooting.” Miller is not facing charges in the case and has been a cooperating witness, Alabama said, as Kupchak addressed the due diligence that went into their selection.

“Especially with a pick this high, this valuable, we do a lot of due diligence,” Kupchak said. “We contact a lot of people. In fact, [assistant GM Buzz Peterson] and I went to Alabama about two weeks ago. Over the course of the year, we did a lot of investigative intel, so to speak, whether it’s reading articles, you bump into people, you go to games, you watch body language on the court and then you talk to people, you bump into people.

“But with a pick this high, we did more due diligence than we normally would. And yeah, we’re comfortable.”

Miller, who spoke to reporters at last month’s NBA draft combine, said, “It’s all a lesson learned,” when talking about the message he hoped to convey to teams about the shooting,

“You always have to be aware of your surroundings and know what you’re surrounded by,” he said. “I feel like the night could’ve changed my career in less than a heartbeat. So always be aware of your surroundings.”

Miller has certainly found a way to keep his name in headlines before and after the draft, as he also made a few hot takes that have gone viral.

These include him stating that “the Charlotte Hornets will in the NBA Finals next year” and that he thinks “Paul George is the GOAT compared to LeBron James and Jordan”.

In another interview with NBA TV, he explained his fandom of PG further. One thing is for sure, the rookie is not lacking any confidence.

Now a minority stakeholder, Michael Jordan sells his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets for approximately $3 billion in value.

Jordan bought his majority stake at $275 million back in 2010 and is now selling it to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. This ends Jordan’s 13-year run as the major stake owner of the franchise.

The former six-time NBA champion and five-time MVP has been the league’s only black majority owner, but will now be only a minority shareholder once the transaction is approved. Jordan will still continue to oversee basketball operations through Thursday’s NBA draft on June 22 and the start of free agency on July 1.

The new franchise’s governors have had prior experience with owning minor shares of this team or other teams, as Schnall is a minority owner of the Atlanta Hawks. He is also the co-president at private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in New York, and was part of a group including majority owner Tony Ressler and Grant Hill, obtaining the Hawks in 2015 for $850 million.

Jordan sold a significant minority stake to Plotkin, founder and chief investment officer of Melvin Capital, and Daniel Sundheim, founder and CIO of D1 Capital, in 2020, and Sundheim is part of the group purchasing the Hornets, sources said.

The Hornets did not have a great season last year, as Charlotte went 27-55 in an injury-bugged year for their best players. However, the new majority owners will have a team that currently has a top-two pick in this year’s NBA Draft this Thursday night, which could be between Alabama forward Brandon Miller and G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson.

Local police records show that Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight was found unconscious in his car holding a Glock handgun prior to his DWI arrest on Oct. 16. After he woke up, he reportedly hit two police cars.

He returned to practice the next day, released on $2,500 bond.

Details about Bouknight’s arrest come from police and court records out of Mecklenberg County, North Carolina, which report that the Hornets player was found unconscious in his running car before 2 a.m. on Sunday. He was first discovered by security guards who contacted police after noticing the gun in the car.

In addition to the Glock handgun he was holding, Bouknight also had a .40 gun and a bag of Doritos with him. Police tried a number of techniques to wake him up, pounding on the window, flashing light into the car and using their PA system. He woke about an hour after he was discovered and ran into two police cars. He was later found to have a blood-alcohol content of 0.14.

Because the state of North Carolina does not require citizens to have a permit to carry firearms, the only charge Bouknight faces is for driving while impaired.

His $2,500 bond allows him to play for the team throughout legal proceedings. The Hornets released a statement after the arrest, saying that they were investigating the incident and gathering information.

In an interview at practice, Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford said that he and the team were prepared to take Bouknight’s legal issues in stride.

“That’s this league. You know what I mean?” Clifford said. “I was told a long time ago that if you want to enjoy coaching, understand that a lot more things go wrong every day than go right. It’s just the kind of job that it is. It’s part of coaching at every level.”

Coming out of the University of Connecticut, Bouknight was highly sought after as a prospect, and the Hornets selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He didn’t start in his first season and scored 4.6 points per game in 31 appearances.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges pled not guilty to three felony charges of domestic violence at his arraignment Wednesday morning. The charges were filed Tuesday by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon, and a date for a preliminary hearing will be determined on Aug. 19.

Shortly after Bridges’ arrest, Mychelle Johnson, who has two children with Bridges, posted several photos of bruises and other injuries on her body to Instagram. She did not mention Bridges in the post and has since deleted it. No names besides Bridges’ were given in the district attorney’s news release.

Bridges was arrested on June 29 by Los Angeles police and released on a $130,000 bond after being accused of assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children. The charges filed against Bridges include one count of injuring a child’s parent and two counts of “child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death.”

The source of the child abuse counts is unclear, as the district attorney merely stated that the children were present during the incident. In a statement, Gascon was adamant that Bridges should “be held accountable for his actions.”

“Domestic violence creates physical, mental and emotional trauma that has a lasting impact on survivors,” Gascon said. “Children who witness family violence are especially vulnerable and the impact on them is immeasurable.”

Before his arrest, the Hornets had offered Bridges a qualifying offer to compete with other teams trying to sign him, making him a restricted free agent. The NBA is conducting its own investigation into the allegations. During this investigation, the NBA retains the right to place Bridges on administrative leave, and depending on the findings, he could face a lengthy suspension or outright dismissal if proven guilty.

After being selected in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft with the 12th overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers, Bridges has played all four of his professional seasons with the Hornets. In 2022, he emerged as a key contributor for the team, scoring 20.2 points per game.

Charlotte Hornets big man Montrezl Harrell is in hot water today after authorities found marijuana in his car during a traffic stop. The 28-year-old is now facing felony charges related to drug trafficking.

According to officials, Harrell was pulled over in Richmond, Kentucky in early May for driving behind a vehicle too closely. The state trooper allegedly smelled marijuana in the vehicle and conducted a search. Three pounds of marijuana were found in vacuum-sealed bags inside a backpack in the backseat. Harrell was then charged with trafficking less than five pounds of marijuana. These charges could lead to five years in prison if he is convicted.

Harrell has been somewhat of a journeyman during his time in the NBA. The 28-year-old was a star during his time at the University of Louisville. Being selected to the All-ACC team twice, winning a national championship in 2013 and winning the inaugural Karl Malone award given to the nation’s top power forward in 2015. He was then selected with the 32nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. After a disappointing tenure with the Houston Rockets, he was traded to the Clippers in a blockbuster deal involving Chris Paul.

Harrell’s time with the Clippers was extremely productive, increasing his scoring average every season in L.A. Harrell averaged a career-high 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks off the bench in 2020. This performance was good enough to earn him Sixth Man of the Year Honors and the NBA Hustle Award that season.

Harrell signed with the Lakers during the 2020 NBA Finals and was subsequently traded to the Wizards a year later. He was dealt to the Hornets during the traded deadline and only played 25 games with the team, all appearances coming off the bench. The Hornets have declined to comment on the Harrell arrest, however, he was due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Harrell is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on July 13.

During the last few seconds of Wednesday night’s tie between the Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo won the nailbiter of a game for Milwaukee. Reflecting on his game-winning layup, Antetokounmpo had some jokes about his part in the Bucks’ exciting 127-125 victory.

Sneaky does not typically describe Antetokounmp’s game since he usually asserts his talent and dominance on the court. However, in this case, Giannis did what he believed was necessary to lead the team to their eighth straight victory and capped an enormous personal performance while doing so.

On Wednesday, Giannis scored 40 points with 12 rebounds and nine assists. Antetokounmp also made nine of 13 free throws he shot. In addition, Wednesday marked the fourth time in Giannis’ career he made the go-ahead field goal inside the final five seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, and the first time since 10’8, per ESPN Stats & Information research.

The Bucks got off to a bumpy start to the season, which led to questions about the future of the reigning championship team. Yet, Wednesday’s win contributed to a winning streak, and their 14-8 record currently has the team tied for second place of the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

Twenty-six-year-old Giannis Antetokounmp, who is turning 27, on December 6, is a big part of the team’s ongoing success. Already a nine-year veteran, Giannis has two NBA MVP awards to his name and an NBA Finals MVP award under his belt.

So far this season, he is averaging 27.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. With statistics like that, who knows? Antetokounmpo could be MVP once again this season.

Charlotte Hornets forward PJ Washington is in the midst of a dispute with ex-girlfriend Brittany Renner over their baby boy.

On August 13, Washington tweeted, “Just want to see my son,” and has posted multiple stories and photos on his social media accounts pleading his case.

The former 12th overall draft pick’s latest tweets have reinvigorated rumors over child support payments and whether Renner, an Instagram model with over four million followers, has been deliberately “taking advantage” of Washington during their relationship.

The Detroit Pistons earned the first pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, and Ben Wallace was there to represent the franchise. Wallace was recently announced as an inductee to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is a Pistons legend that helped the team win the 2004 NBA Finals.

The first pick will ensure the Pistons will add another top-level talent to their young team. Just last year, the Pistons took three players in the first round of the draft. It will also be the Pistons’ first top-five selection since 2003 when they took Darko Milicic second overall. It will be Detroit’s first top overall pick since they drafted Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier in 1970.

“Obviously we get to add another wing player to the restoration process,” Detroit’s general manager Troy Weaver said. “We’re excited to be in this position. But it means that we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re going to be diligent about it. But it always helps to be able to add the No. 1 pick.”

Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham is expected by many to be the first pick of the draft.

The top three picks of the draft are the Pistons, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Rockets have entered a rebuilding process after trading away star James Harden to the Nets.

Cleveland has picked fifth each of the past two seasons, but this time they got lucky with the third pick. The Cavaliers are looking to make the playoffs next season with their young core of guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, forward Isaac Okoro and center Jarrett Allen.

The rest of the order is as follows:

• 4. Toronto Raptors
• 5. Orlando Magic
• 6. Oklahoma City Thunder
• 7. Golden State Warriors
• 8. Orlando Magic
• 9. Sacramento Kings
• 10. New Orleans Pelicans
• 11. Charlotte Hornets
• 12. San Antonio Spurs
• 13. Indiana Pacers
• 14. Golden State Warriors

Both the Warriors and Magic have two picks in the lottery.

On, Thursday the NBA announced the 2020-21 NBA All-Rookie Team.

To no one’s surprise, Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball was unanimously selected to the First Team, as was Rookie of the Year runner-up Anthony Edwards. Tyrese Haliburton joined the two after receiving 98 of 99 First Team votes. Pistons forward Saddiq Bey and Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate were also voted to the First Team.

Ball, of the Charlotte Hornets, was recently announced as the Rookie Of The Year after averaging 15.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game in 51 games this season. The Hornets guard led all rookies in assists per game (6.1), steals (1.59) and rebounding (5.9). He was second in scoring (15.7).

Edwards led all rookies in scoring with 19.3 points per game. He also chipped in 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. However, Edwards ramped up his production following the All-Star break. The Minnesota Timberwolves guard averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 36 games after the All-Star break. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in each of the final three months of the season.

Haliburton averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game. Haliburton is the eighth player in the history of the Sacramento Kings’ franchise to make the All-Rookie First Team

Bey averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He was an impressive rookie for the Detroit Pistons. Bey was on pace to break the record for most threes made by a rookie, but the shortened season denied him the record. The Pistons’ rookie finished with 175 made triples.

Tate averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Houston Rockets this season. Tate was one of 10 players to average at least 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game after the All-Star break.

The Second Team is comprised of Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley, Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, Cavaliers guard-forward Isaac Okoro, Pistons center Isaiah Stewart and Bulls forward Patrick Williams.