Charles Barkley asked the question so many want answered.
Speaking with commissioner Adam Silver on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” last week, Barkley forewent a commercial break to address the domestic violence cases hanging over the league.
“There’s a couple disturbing incidents of domestic violence in the NBA right now,” Barkley said. “What are we doing to address that? You can’t put your hands on women, man.”
Barkley didn’t name names, but his question came amid widespread criticism of the NBA’s handling of allegations against Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets, whom the Nets play Monday.
Bridges, 25, was arrested in June 2022 for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children. The woman later posted graphic photos of her alleged injuries, claiming she suffered a fractured nose, fractured wrist, torn eardrum, a severe concussion and torn neck muscles “from being choked” until she went to sleep.
After originally pleading not guilty to felony domestic violence, Bridges pleaded no contest in November and avoided jail time, instead being given three years of probation and a 10-year protective order requiring him to stay away from the woman.
Bridges spent the 2022-23 campaign without a contract, and in April, the NBA suspended the high-scoring forward for 30 games but credited him with having served 20 already after not playing last season. That left Bridges with effectively a 10-game ban, equaling the minimum penalty for a player convicted of – including pleading no contest – a violent felony.
Bridges signed a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer with the Hornets over the offseason, putting him in line to return for Charlotte’s 11th game on Nov. 17.
Earlier this month, Bridges was accused of violating his protective order by allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend and hurling billiard balls at a car that their children were inside. He turned himself on an arrest warrant and was released on a $1,000 bond.
The NBA and the Hornets said they were gathering information but have not announced additional discipline for the former first-round pick.
Even before the latest distressing accusations surfaced, many expressed outrage over what they considered an insufficient suspension for Bridges. The possibility of Bridges suiting up soon for an NBA game with such horrifying allegations circulating certainly warrants questioning.
But when Barkley asked the commissioner for insight into the league’s approach, Silver didn’t go into much detail.
“Our players’ association, credit to them, this wasn’t adversarial,” Silver said Tuesday, responding to Barkley’s question, which The Athletic reported was unscripted.
“We put in place a new program for how we deal with, first of all, accusations of domestic violence even before they’re prosecuted,” the commissioner continued.
“Part of it goes to training of our players, counseling of our players to make sure they understand during high-stress situations, never resort to violence against anyone, and so we’re addressing it. We have state of the art counseling professionals dealing with our players, but of course if a guy does cross the line, the consequences are enormous.”
Many disagree, however, that the consequences against Bridges have been “enormous.” There’s also the unresolved situation regarding Kevin Porter Jr., who was accused of attacking his girlfriend at a New York City hotel last month. Porter has pleaded not guilty to strangulation and assault charges. The Rockets have since traded Porter to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who waived him.
The Nets won’t face Bridges when they play the Hornets on the road Monday night, but barring any changes, other teams could very well see him soon.