Former NBA player accused of stealing items from Target

Swapping free throws for freebies, the context of a rising NBA player's sudden release was illuminated in court documents from Virginia.

On Monday, 21-year-old guard Ryan Rollins, formerly of the Golden State Warriors, was released by the Washington Wizards on waivers. The unexplained move had remained a relative mystery during the week until The Athletic reported on the player's alleged extracurricular activities at a Target store over two months.

According to the documents of the General Court of the District of Alexandria reviewed by the way outbetween September 9 and November 9, Rollins was alleged to have robbed the same store seven times.

Now charged with seven counts of petit larceny, the filings indicated that Rollins, whose $1.7 million salary was fully guaranteed for the 2023-24 season, as well as $600,000 of the following season's salary, allegedly got away with small products like body wash. candles and groceries, all valued under $1,000.

The value of the property said to have been taken meant under Virginia law that the now-former Wizard was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor, for which he had a court hearing scheduled on February 7. The punishment for someone found guilty of such an offense was “imprisonment in prison for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.”

In its initial statement on the matter, the team had only posted on social media: “Official: We have waived guard Ryan Rollins.”

Official: We have waived guard Ryan Rollins.

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 9, 2024

When the allegations against Rollins came to light, his agent, Mike Silverman, and his attorney, Nathan Muyskens, both declined to comment to The Athletic.

Meanwhile, Michael Winger, the president of Monumental Basketball, the group that owns the Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals, told the network: “We recently learned of the charges against Ryan. We cannot comment on that matter, nor on the basis of decisions on our list.”

“We take very seriously our role as citizens of the DMV, representatives of our fans and a team that our community can be proud of,” he continued, referring to the metro area that included Washington, D.C. and parts of Maryland , Virginia and West. virginia “These are expectations, not aspirations. We are very much looking forward to moving forward with our team as it stands and pursuing excellence on and off the court.”

Like other metropolitan areas, crime remained a major problem for DC in 2023, with homicides up 35% while carjackings nearly doubled. In response, legislation was proposed this week to address violent crime by giving officers fewer restrictions while dealing with criminals and pushing for tougher sentences while allowing judges more leeway in detaining suspects, the Associated Press reported. reported.

Rollins had played 10 games during the season with the Wizards, who, with a 6-31 record, were sitting just above the Detroit Pistons at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Staff writer

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College, where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and seeker of truth, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and dog, and when he's not researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel ·the.

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