Sports In the Courts Blog : New York Attorneys & Lawyers Specializing in Sports Law & Legal Analysis

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Since Lebronapalooza wrapped up, the NBA and David Stern have had their hands full with current and former stars appearing in the news for the wrong reasons.  

• Sacramento Kings rookie phenom Tyreke Evans became an Youtube star with his high speed racing on California highways at speeds in excess of 130 MPH!  Evans was arrested at gunpoint and charged with reckless driving.  Since then, Evans pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving and was able to wiggle out of the racing charges due to the lack of evidence.  This past Wednesday, Evans attended a Smart Start driving class and will participate in 80 hours of community service as part of his plea agreement. 

• Delonte West was suspended for 10 games by the NBA without pay after pleading guilty to weapons charges.  West was arrested for a traffic violation and police discovered a variety of weapons.  With West already treading lightly with his peers regarding the Lebron James rumors, West may be better off following in Stephon Marbury's footsteps when his home detention plea bargain and flee to China.

• Nenad Krstic was involved in a Ron Artest type incident in a Serbia - Greece FIBA game.  Former New Jersey Net and current Oklahoma City Thunder center, Krstic was detained overnight for his role in the melee.  The fight broke out after players began jawing at one another with under three min left in the game.  Krstic threw a few haymakers, pushed, shoved, and eventually launched a chair that struck Ioannis Bourousis, who had in street clothing on the bench.  Krstic was detained overnight following the altercation and was released the following morning.  Krstic will face misdemeanor-level "sports violence" charges.  The altercation closely resembled the one that broke out a few years ago involving Ron Artest, the Indiana Pacers, and the Detroit Pistons.  Although this is a FIBA game and has no ties to the NBA, it will be interesting to see how the NBA handles it.  Insuring players contracts for these global tournaments to protect against injuries has always been a topic of discussion.  NBA teams may place further restrictions on their players now because of the recent outbreak, which may put a damper on Commissioner David Stern's visions of global success.

• Former New Jersey Nets All Star Jayson WIlliams was sentenced on Friday to another year in jail for his recent DWI case.  The DWI occurred in January.  Williams, who is already is serving time behind bars for the accidental shooting of his limousine driver in 2002.  Williams plead guilty to the DWI and will serve the additional year in jail immediately following his current five year sentence. Although Williams stated the sentence seemed excessive, he said it was a small price to pay to deter drunk driving.  

• Indiana Pacers rookie Lance Stephenson made headlines before the season has even begun.  Stephenson, a Coney Island basketball legend, was arrested on August 14th for an incident that occurred with his girlfriend Jasmine Williams.  Stephenson's charges include third degree assault, harassment, and menacing.  Brooklyn Prosecutors also added a charge for possession of a weapon.  As further details have emerged, the incident, the argument stemmed from Stephenson's girlfriend failing to answer her phone.  Stephenson ambushed Williams as she returned to her apartment from a "girl's night".  Stephenson proceeded to push Williams down the stairs and "slammed" her head into the bottom stair.  This is not Stephenson's first run in with the law.  Stephenson's draft value was compromised for off-the-court issues, including a sexual abuse bust he was involved with on a 17-year old girl outside of Lincoln High School in 2008.  The Indiana Pacers and team President Larry Bird, took a chance by drafting Stephenson, and recently expressed their disappointment in the rookie's antics.  Look for this to come up in the offseason with a lockout looming over the NBA.

• One of Lebron James' newest teammates Udonis Haslem was arrested for possession of marijuana on August 15th.  Haslem was pulled over for speeding and troopers found marijuana in a black case under the drivers seat after searching the vehicle.  The passenger in the vehicle took the fall and claimed the 20+ grams of marijuana as his, not Haslems.  I guess the hype that is surrounding how many wins the Miami Heat will get to this year was not enough of a high for Haslem.  

Good luck to David Stern who has quite a bit of work to do on the public image of the NBA.  After resurrecting the NBA out of the drug filled 70's and 80's, competitive basketball and clean cut superstars must emerge for the NBA to regain popularity.  Maybe Stern should live up to his name with players and take a page out of Roger Goodell's rule book.