Former Sacramento Kings guard Ty Lawson was arrested July 16 in Castle Rock, Colorado, after police say he stole a $34 bottle of Tito’s vodka from a liquor store, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX31 in Denver.
The report also says Lawson, 38, used racial slurs toward an officer while being booked into the Douglas County Jail. 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’s arrest adds to a long list of run-ins with law enforcement. He has been arrested multiple times since 2008, including several DUI arrests.
On the court, Lawson built a decorated résumé before his NBA career. 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 as the nation’s top point guard.
He entered the NBA 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 seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers and Kings.
Lawson spent his first six NBA seasons with Denver, then played for Houston and Indiana in 2015-16 before joining 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 came with a milestone: Lawson recorded the first triple-double of his career, finishing with 22 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in a 129-104 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Lawson 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.
In Other News...
Former Pack Stars Sound Off On NC State's NIL Reality
Former NC State standouts Damon Thornton and Richard Howell used a recent episode of their podcast to revisit one of the biggest changes in college basketball: how NIL has reshaped recruiting, roster building and the way programs are judged. Their conversation came from the perspective of two former Pack players who have watched the sport evolve from the inside, and both made clear they see coaching as just as important as money when it comes to building a winning team.
Howell said NC State can still compete even when it is not spending at the same level as some power conference rivals, but only if the staff keeps evaluating and developing talent at a high level. Thornton, meanwhile, pointed to the instability NIL has created around rosters and the sense that teams can look completely different from one year to the next, a reality that has made long-term planning harder for coaches and raised new questions about what success really looks like in the current era. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Just Got A Huge Answer From Paul McNeil Jr
NC State got an important bit of offseason clarity with Paul McNeil Jr. deciding to return, keeping one of its top shooters in Raleigh as the program moves into a new era under Justin Gainey. McNeil, a rising junior, has become a key piece for the Wolfpack, and his decision gives the staff a proven perimeter threat to build around as it tries to keep momentum going.
Gainey has already pointed to McNeils growth beyond just his shot-making, praising the way he has developed and carried himself through the offseason. Patrick Stacy also emphasized how rare McNeils shooting profile is and how much he helped the team last season, which is why his return matters so much as NC State looks to stabilize its roster and define its identity early. [Read more 🡒]
Khamil Pierre Sounds All In On What NC State Is Building
Khamil Pierres first season in Raleigh came with the usual adjustment period, but the NC State forward said the game started to slow down for her as the year went on. She pointed to rebounding as the area where she already felt she made her biggest impact, while also making it clear she wants more growth this season as she settles deeper into the Wolfpacks system and continues learning where she fits best on the floor.
Pierre also sounded fully bought in on what NC State is trying to build, praising the program and the chemistry she sees around the group. The next step is figuring out how that translates into her role, especially with her preference for playing inside rather than handling the ball on the perimeter, and with the Wolfpack trying to channel last seasons disappointment into something sharper this time around. [Read more 🡒]