Charlotte Hornets guard James Bouknight was arrested Sunday in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and charged with DWI, according to police arrest records. The Hornets released a statement Monday afternoon saying they are aware of the situation but will not comment further 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.”
Bouknight was selected 11th overall by the Hornets in the 2021 NBA Draft, and in his rookie season he 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 being pulled over with three pounds of marijuana in his car in May. Those charges were later reduced to a misdemeanor, which will be struck from Harrell’s record in 12 months if he doesn’t get into more legal trouble.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges faces domestic violence and child abuse charges after being arrested in June. Bridges has pleaded not guilty to all three felony charges against him: one felony of injuring the parents of a child and two felony counts of child abuse, with a due process hearing in court scheduled for Oct. 17. If he is convicted of all three charges, Bridges could face up to 12 years in prison.
As for Bouknight, we’ll have to wait and see how his arrest affects his career with the Hornets going forward.
