"Journey of the abusive hooper" - Miles Bridges posting cryptic IG story after turning himself in leaves fans fuming
After facing another arrest warrant and a criminal summons for reportedly violating a protective order, Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges turned himself in to police on Friday. Bridges allegedly breached a protective order by damaging his longtime girlfriend's car windshield and threatening her at home.
Accompanied by his lawyer, the 25-year-old presented himself at the Lincoln County Detention Center in North Carolina. He had a hearing before a district county judge and was subsequently released on a $1,000 secured bond.
Following the incident, Bridges appears to have swiftly resumed training with the Hornets. He posted a photo inside a Hornets training facility.
The rapid turnaround in Bridges' situation has sparked anger among some fans.
Some fans questioned how and why he was still at liberty.
Critics also pointed out that the Hornets' decision to keep Bridges on the team was concerning.
When did Miles Bridges last play an NBA game?
The beleaguered Hornets forward's most recent appearance in an NBA game was on April 13, 2022, in a play-in tournament match against the Toronto Raptors. Bridges contributed 12 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
He has been absent from the game for over a year already due to controversies during that offseason. Bridges was taken into custody in Los Angeles on June 29, 2022, on domestic violence charges after allegedly assaulting Mychelle Johnson in front of their two children. He was released after posting a $130,000 bond.
Johnson said she suffered a concussion, a fractured nasal bone, a contusion on her rib, various bruises, and a strained neck muscle.
On July 19, 2022, Bridges was formally charged with one felony count of causing harm to a parent of a child and two felony counts of child abuse. The next day, he entered a plea of not guilty to all three charges but changed his plea to no contest for the felony domestic charge and was given a three-year probation sentence. The other two charges were dropped.
Bridges was handed a 30-game suspension without pay from the NBA in April 2023. As he had missed the entire 2022-23 season, the NBA considered 20 of these games already served.
Bridges signed a $7.9 million qualifying offer from Charlotte during the current year's free agency. The deal is only good for one year, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2024-25.