Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, who last November pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge, is eligible to return from suspension on Friday. In a statement, the team said that it is "comfortable" with Bridges returning to play:
"Miles Bridges is eligible to return to our active roster on Friday after serving his NBA suspension. We are comfortable with Miles returning to play based on our current understanding of the facts of the recent allegations and remain in contact with the NBA as that matter proceeds through the court process."
The "recent" allegations refer to two alleged violations of a domestic violence protective order:
- In October, Bridges turned himself in, appeared before a judge and was released on a $1,000 bond, following an arrest warrant that was issued in January but was previously unserved. This alleged violation was for continually contacting his ex-girlfriend.
- In October, Bridges was charged with child abuse, injury to personal property and another violation of the protective order. A criminal summons was issued for allegedly threatening his ex and throwing pool balls at her car while their children were in it. He was initially scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 13, but that has been rescheduled to Feb. 20, according to Mecklenburg County court records.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed Bridges' return during an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN on Thursday. Here are his full comments:
"From my standpoint, I believe we have been consistent, in that we're applying the same principles to every case. No fact pattern is exactly alike, and I think everybody is entitled to due process and a fair system, regardless of whether they're in a union or not. In this case, these players are represented by a strong union, and that's a collectively bargained process. But unless you're intimately into the facts of each case, you have to understand that the result is based on an investigation and a very deep understanding -- at least the best we're in a position to do so -- to understand exactly what happened. In terms of new allegations, put yourself in that players' shoes, or anybody in which there's an allegation. Everybody's entitled to due process and everybody's entitled to a fair hearing. To the extent there's other things that we're looking at, that's an independent investigation and until there are findings there, it would be unfair to punish a player, or anyone, under those circumstances. We believe in the rule of law in this league, and we believe in due process.
"Yes, in deciding the appropriate discipline, contrition and the players' reaction to the incident is of course important. But once again, I don't want to pre-judge any other allegeations that have been made against him. That's why there are investigations, that's why there is a process in place."
Bridges was initially charged with three felonies and accused of assaulting his ex in front of their two children. As part of his plea deal, which included three years of probation and a 10-year protective order, two charges were dismissed. In April, the NBA announced that, after conducting its own investigation, it was suspending Bridges for 30 games, but, since Bridges didn't sign a contract to play in the 2022-23 season, the league considered 20 games to have already been served. This meant that, in 2023-24, he would only be suspended for the first 10 games. Bridges signed a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer with the Hornets in July, and they played their 10th game on Tuesday.
Charlotte hosts the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday in the In-Season Tournament. Bridges has not appeared in an NBA game since April 10, 2022.
