Former Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson was arrested July 16 after police say he stole a $34 bottle of Tito’s vodka from a liquor store in Castle Rock, Colorado, and later directed racial insults at officers while being booked into the Douglas County Jail.
An arrest affidavit obtained by FOX31 in Denver says Lawson, 38, was taken into custody on shoplifting charges. The California Post, a West Coast sister publication of the New York Post, reported that Lawson repeatedly called a police officer “b----” and “white b----” during the booking process.
Lawson has a long arrest history dating back to 2008, including multiple 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 leading North Carolina to the NCAA championship in 2009, and he also won the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top point guard.
He entered the league as the 18 th 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 a memorable one: 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 during a first-round series against the Toronto Raptors.
In Other News...
Colts Swing Tackle Battle May Already Have An Undrafted Favorite
The Colts have a familiar offseason theme playing out again up front, with a cluster of undrafted free agents trying to carve out jobs and, in particular, a swing tackle role that always carries outsized value. Nolan Rucci and Bayron Matos are among the young tackles in the mix, and Indianapolis has given itself reason to believe it can keep finding useful pieces in that part of the roster by developing linemen who arrive without much draft pedigree.
Rucci, in particular, is drawing the kind of attention that can turn a camp battle into a real roster conversation. His physical traits and upside have put him near the front of the pack, and the Colts track record with undrafted offensive linemen only adds to the intrigue. The question now is whether that promise shows up quickly enough for him to become a trusted swing tackle before the roster starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Just Got Pulled Into Another Quarterback Debate Fans Dread
The Colts have spent enough time in quarterback uncertainty already, so it is no surprise that another outside suggestion would land with a thud. Bleacher Reports latest idea tied Indianapolis to Minnesotas J.J. McCarthy as a possible backup option, a move that would only add another young passer to a room already trying to sort out where Anthony Richardson fits and how much stability the team really has behind him.
McCarthys profile does not exactly scream clean solution, either. He has battled injuries, is still trying to prove he can hold down an NFL job, and comes with a contract that would ask Indianapolis to pay more for a quarterback who might not be any more settled than the one already on the roster. With Riley Leonard also in the mix, the Colts may have a cheaper and simpler answer in-house, which is why this latest quarterback link feels less like a fix and more like another reminder of how unresolved the position still is. [Read more 🡒]
Shane Steichen Just Gave Colts Fans A Troubling Alec Pierce Update
Alec Pierces offseason has taken a more complicated turn than the Colts probably wanted when he went under the knife in late March to address an ankle issue he had been playing through. Shane Steichen said the wide receivers target is to be ready for Week 1, which at least gives Indianapolis a clear benchmark, but it also leaves the team waiting on a player who has become an important part of the passing game.
The uncertainty matters because Pierce was expected to use the offseason to get back on track, not spend it rehabbing a surgery that has already pushed his timeline into the summer. For a Colts offense trying to build continuity, every missed practice rep counts, and the closer this recovery gets to the start of the regular season, the more the team has to think about how it will manage his workload if he does make it back on time. [Read more 🡒]