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Miles Bridges, a forward for the Charlotte Hornets, expressed his remorse and regret for his involvement in a domestic violence incident that resulted in his suspension from the NBA last season. The 25-year-old spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since signing a one-year, $7.9 million contract to return to the Hornets.
Bridges was arrested in June 2022 on three charges of domestic violence after allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Mychelle Johnson, in front of their children. Johnson posted photos and details of the alleged attack on her Instagram account, showing injuries such as a broken nose, a torn eardrum, and a concussion. Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony charge in November 2022, while the other two charges were dropped, and was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to complete a domestic violence program.
The NBA also conducted its own investigation and suspended Bridges for 30 games. However, he was credited with 20 games served after missing the entire 2022-23 season due to the legal process. Bridges will have to sit out the first 10 games of the upcoming 2023-24 season.
Bridges apologized to everyone affected by his actions, especially his family, and said that he used his time away from basketball to focus on therapy and personal growth. He thanked the Hornets organization and the NBA for giving him a second chance and vowed to prove himself as a better person and player.
“I want to apologize to everybody for the pain and embarrassment that I have caused everyone, especially my family,” Bridges said in a news conference, “This year away I’ve used to prioritize going to therapy and becoming the best person I can be.” He continued, “… A lot of people don’t get a second chance, and I want to use this second chance to prove to everyone that I’m the same kid you drafted five years ago.”
Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said that the decision to re-sign Bridges was based on multiple factors, including the investigations by the NBA and the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as the team’s personal relationship with Bridges since drafting him in 2018. Bridge is a talented player who averaged 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in his last season with the Hornets and is expected to play a key role for the team once he returns from his suspension.
