The Lakers are nearing their return to action after the All-Star break. Unfortunately, the Bahaman center Deandre Ayton seemed to take this time to visit his home and got into some trouble on the way back.
“Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was briefly detained on Tuesday at Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas on suspicion of being in possession of a small amount of marijuana,” according to Jasper Williams-Ward of Reuters.
A source initially told Reuters that it was Ayton was caught in possession of a small amount of marijuana. Subsequently, he was reportedly arrested.
But his lawyer, Devard Francis, later clarified that the small amount of marijuana found was not in his possession but someone else in the circle of people around him, and after thoroughly conducting their investigation, the Royal Bahamas Police Force released Ayton from detention without any charges.
“The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn’t in Deandre’s bag, but they still went through their investigations, and he was released expeditiously,” Francis said.
Neither the Lakers nor the Royal Bahamas Police Force responded to Reuters’ requests for a comment. As per Ward, the archipelago has taken multiple steps to allow the use of marijuana for medical and religious purposes, but the drug remains illegal for recreational use in the country.
In the Bahamas, while the newly proposed laws offer a much lower penalty, the Dangerous Drugs Act entails a punishment of up to $125,000 or even 10 years of imprisonment for the possession of any quantity of marijuana.
Furthermore, possession with the intent to supply leads to a fine of up to $500,000 or even 30 years in prison. Therefore, Ayton may have just dodged a bullet in terms of a big potential hole in his pocket or even potential jail time.
Following stints with the Suns and the Trail Blazers in his career, the Lakers’ center is currently averaging 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 62.5% from the field for 2025-26.
Ayton has missed the last two games for the Lakers due to soreness in his right knee. But after the All-Star break, the Lakers will look to have a fully healthy roster, something that has been rare for them this season.
The Lakers are set to face the Clippers in their first game back from the All-Star break. We will likely get a comment from Ayton in the postgame press conference or media scrum after that game.
