Free-agent forward Miles Bridges received a 30-game suspension without pay from the NBA on Friday stemming from his arrest and consequent court case, following a domestic violence incident with the mother of his children in June 2022.
The league announced Bridges, who was sentenced to three years probation in November after entering a no-contest plea to a felony domestic violence charge, will miss the first 10 games of the 2023–24 season because he satisfied the first 20 games of the suspension by sitting the entire ’22–23 season. The NBA also noted that, in addition to its own investigation into Bridges’s conduct, the decision on discipline is “based on all facts and circumstances of this matter, and considers the conduct and its result, as well as the outcome of the criminal matter, among other factors.”
“The NBA conducted its own investigation into this matter, reviewing all available materials and interviewing numerous third-party witnesses, as well as the parties involved. The NBA also consulted with a group of domestic violence experts who provide the league with guidance in such cases,” the statement read in part.
Friday’s news comes nearly a year after Bridges was arrested and charged with multiple offenses after an altercation with his former wife Mychelle Johnson in front of their two children June 27. He was later released on $130,000 bond, but remained away from the NBA as his legal battle continued.
On Nov. 3, Bridges reached an agreement with prosecutors on a plea deal, which led to the dismissal of charges including one count of injuring a child’s parent and two counts of abuse under conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. As part of his probation, Bridges was required to attend 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, 52 weeks of parenting classes, serve 100 hours of community service and weekly drug testing for narcotics.
A 2018 first-round pick by the Hornets, Bridges is currently free to sign with a team of his choosing after contract talks fell through with his former club in recent months.
