Former Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson was arrested July 16 in Castle Rock, Colorado, after allegedly stealing a $34 bottle of Tito’s vodka from a liquor store, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX31 in Denver.
The California Post, a West Coast sister publication of the New York Post, reported that Lawson repeatedly directed racial insults at a police officer while being booked into the Douglas County Jail, calling the officer “b----” and “white b----.”
Lawson, 38, has been arrested multiple times since 2008, including several DUI arrests.
On the court, Lawson built a decorated college résumé before reaching the NBA. He was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year while helping North Carolina win the NCAA championship in 2009, and he also took home the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard.
He entered the league as the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2009 draft and went on to average 12.7 points and 6.0 assists across eight NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Kings.
Lawson spent his first six seasons with Denver, then played for Houston and Indiana in 2015-16 before signing with Sacramento in August 2016. He appeared in 69 games for the Kings in 2016-17, making 25 starts and averaging 9.9 points and 4.8 assists in 25.1 minutes per game.
His final regular-season NBA game was one to remember: Lawson recorded the first triple-double of his career with 22 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a 129-104 win over the Phoenix Suns.
He later signed with the Washington Wizards for the 2018 NBA playoffs, where he averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 assists in 19.2 minutes per game in a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.
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Hurst has also started to draw national notice, earning a Preseason All-Big 12 Conference First Team selection before he has even taken a snap for Houston. For a team looking to stabilize and strengthen the line, that kind of early buzz matters, especially when teammates are already talking about the presence he brings and the standard he sets in the room. [Read more 🡒]
Houston's Big 12 Hopes May Hinge On One Overlooked Factor
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The path to something bigger is still narrow, though, and it likely runs through a couple of trips that will tell the story of Houstons season. Games at Texas Tech and Utah stand out as the kind of tests that can separate a hopeful contender from a team still building toward that level, and they will go a long way toward showing whether the Cougars are ready to push for a spot in the Big 12 championship game for the first time. [Read more 🡒]
Houston Finally Has A Big 12 Schedule Break Worth Watching
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The more interesting part is how the league schedule sets up at home, where some of the most important Big 12 matchups land in front of the Cougars crowd. Road trips to Texas Tech and Utah still loom as the kind of tests that can shape a season, but the timing of the Utah game is especially notable because Houston gets a bye right after it, offering a recovery window before the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]