Second-year Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight was arrested by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on suspicion of driving while impaired over the weekend, according to public court documents.
The 22-year-old was arrested at 1:51 a.m. on Sunday and later released on $2,500 bond. Bouknight practiced with the Hornets on Monday, per the Associated Press. He did not address the media.
“We are just gathering information right now,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters after Monday’s practice, via the AP. “Until we know more definitely on what happened I can’t comment on that.”
The team issued a similar statement on Monday: “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.”
The Hornets are scheduled to open their season against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Bouknight, the 11th overall selection in the 2021 NBA draft, was also arrested on similar allegations as a freshman at the University of Connecticut in September 2019. According to police records at the time, he crashed a car that was not his own into a street sign around 1:30 a.m. When police arrived, he allegedly smelled of alcohol and fled the scene when authorities asked for identification. He later turned himself in on charges of interfering with a police officer, evading responsibility for property damage, operating a motor vehicle without a license and traveling too fast for road conditions. He later received one year of probation.
Bouknight averaged 4.6 points (35/35/87 shooting splits) in 9.8 minutes per game as a rookie last season.
The Hornets have been dealing with legal matters related to the roster throughout the summer. Restricted free-agent guard Miles Bridges was arrested on a felony domestic violence charge in Los Angeles on June 30. His wife shared disturbing images of the alleged assault on Instagram. Bridges pleaded not guilty and remains unsigned as he awaits a preliminary hearing, which was rescheduled for a sixth time for Monday.