Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges spent a season out of the NBA as accusations of domestic violence came out against the forward. Bridges’ alleged harassment of the victim was revealed yesterday, prompting fans to ask the NBA to ban the 25-year-old. Bridges responded by seemingly painting himself as the victim, changing his X profile picture to Johnny Depp.
Bridges has since switched his picture again in the face of backlash. The Depp reference seeks to paint the situation as one where Miles is being painted as a criminal when he isn’t one, which is a very dangerous thing to say if even a modicum of what’s being shared right now is factual.
Given the reaction Kevin Porter Jr.’s actions recently got, Bridges may find it very hard to get another chance in the NBA if he’s prosecuted for domestic and child abuse. The league should have no space for abusers, so it’s the duty of the legal entities to investigate this fully given the millions of dollars at stake through NBA contracts.
What Happened With Miles Bridges This Offseason?
On Wednesday (11 October), a criminal summons was issued by the Mecklenburg County court for violation of a protective order. Additional charges of child abuse and injury to personal property were also leveled against Bridges for allegedly throwing pool balls at the car which smashed the windshield and dented the windows. Bridges’ children were in the car during the incident.
To add to this already horrifying story, Bridges also reportedly intimidated the victim with the withholding of child support money if she reported the incident to the police. Nonetheless, she went to the police on Tuesday, alleging that the incident took place on October 6. Bridges is expected to appear in court on November 13 and will be unlikely to feature in any NBA games until then.
The court should follow its due process and investigate this matter. A lot of the people advocating for Bridges to return to the NBA were citing the need for a ‘second chance’ for a person who could have reformed himself over his season away from the game. Given how recent this incident is, it’s clear that Bridges isn’t so dissimilar to the man who had domestic violence charges leveled against him in the 2022 off-season.
The Charlotte Hornets Need To Move On
The Hornets took a big step back last season with Bridges not being available. After averaging 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the 2021/22 season and helping the Hornets make the play-in tournament, the franchise was barely competitive last season.Â
They won 27 games with Bridges’ on the sideline and LaMelo Ball out with injury last year. Given they have now drafted Brandon Miller and want to return to pushing for the postseason, bringing back Bridges was controversial but important for the franchise.
If these reports are true, it’s a no-brainer that the team needs to move on from him. Given how the Hornets were willing to cut ties with Kai Jones for his bizarre behavior on social media, it’d be shocking to see them not make a similar statement with a swift decision on Bridges.Â
The team’s hands will likely be tied with the real-life investigation, so Bridges will be suspended from the team until his court summons in November. The league will also want to investigate the matter so that they and the Hornets can come to the right decision about Bridges’ future in the NBA.Â
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