Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight was arrested on DWI charge on Sunday in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, per the police's arrest records. The Hornets released a statement Monday afternoon saying they are aware of the situation but will have no further comment at this time.
"We are aware of the incident involving James Bouknight and are in the process of gathering additional information. We will have no further comment at this time."
Further court documents obtained by WSOC TV in Charlotte show that Bouknight was blocking traffic with his vehicle and was found unconscious with a gun in his hand. Said documents also say that upon waking, Bouknight began to eat food before crashing into two patrol cars. After eventually getting out of his car, he was taken into custody.
Bouknight was selected 11th overall by the Hornets in the 2021 NBA Draft, and in his rookie season appeared in 31 games where he averaged 4.6 points. Bouknight's arrest is the latest in a string of Hornets players making headlines this offseason. Montrezl Harrell -- who was a member of the Hornets last season and joined the 76ers as a free agent this summer -- faced felony drug charges in Kentucky after getting pulled over with three pounds of marijuana in his car in May. Those charges were later reduced to a misdemeanor, which will be expunged from Harrell's record in 12 months if he does not get into any further legal trouble.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges is facing domestic violence and child abuse charges after being arrested in June. Bridges has pleaded not guilty to the three felony counts against him -- one felony count of injuring a child's parent and two felony counts of child abuse -- with a procedural court hearing set for Oct. 17. If convicted of all three charges, Bridges could face up to 12 years in prison.
In regards to Bouknight, we'll have to wait and see how his arrest impacts his career with the Hornets going forward.
