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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LeBron Just Dragged The Rockets Back Into A Brutal Career Twist
LeBron James has spent enough years around the Rockets to make them part of the leagues larger backdrop, but the latest twist gives that matchup a little extra sting. His agent, Rich Paul, said the playoff series against Houston helped push James to keep going for two more seasons, a reminder that even in a series the Rockets could not win, they still wound up leaving a mark on one of the sports biggest stars.
For Houston, the context only sharpens the frustration. The Rockets had defenders who could make life difficult and were dealing with key absences of their own, yet James still found ways to control the series as the Lakers moved on. It is the kind of outcome that lingers for a young team trying to climb, because now the Rockets are tied to a decision that says as much about James competitive fire as it does about how hard they made him work. [Read more 🡒]