Charlotte Hornets’ wing Miles Bridges pled no contest to a felony domestic violence charge from a case this summer involving the mother of his children, reports to Baxter Holmes of ESPN. He will not serve any jail time but will face three years of probation for the charges filed in Los Angeles.
In July, Mychelle Johnson, the mother of Bridges’ children, detailed her case in a July 1 Instagram post where she said, “I can’t be silent anymore. I’ve allowed someone to destroy my home, abuse me in every way possible and traumatize our kids for life.” The post contained detailed medical reports of multiple injuries and a video of their son recounting an incident where “daddy choked mommy.”
That was followed up by the Los Angeles District Attorney, who filed the charges, leading to the plea deal and the no-contest plea this week.
Bridges is currently on the Hornets’ books but is not getting paid or playing for them. He was in line for a contract extension this summer, and the Hornets extended him a qualifying offer before this incident came to light. Since then the Hornets have not discussed a new contract with him, nor did they rescind the qualifying offer, thereby retaining his rights. No other team has stepped forward with an offer. The ESPN reports notes that because he pled no contest (accepting the conviction but avoiding having to admit guilt), if a team signs him the NBA can suspend, fine or dismiss Bridges under the terms of the CBA.
Bridges led the Hornets in scoring last season at 20.2 points a game, plus he pulled down seven rebounds a night.