The NBA announced Wednesday that they have suspended San Antonio Spurs guard Devonte’ Graham for two games for pleading guilty to a 2022 charge of driving while impaired. The league said that the suspension will start with the next regular-season game he is able and eligible to play. Graham will serve the suspension at the start of the 2023-24 season, which begins in late October.
Graham (then a member of the New Orleans Pelicans) was pulled over by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for speeding at 3 a.m. on July 7, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 28-year-old Graham allegedly was driving 63 mph in a 40 mph zone and was arrested after he showed signs of intoxication. Once he was taken to the Wake County Detention Center, he blew a 0.11 BAC on the breathalyzer (the state limit is 0.08).
Graham pleaded guilty in June and in July was sentenced to 21 days in jail, which ended up being suspended as part of a plea deal; the speeding charge was also dropped. Instead, Graham received a year of probation and was required to pay $393 in fines and fees.
In the time since his DWI arrest and suspension, the Pelicans traded Graham and four second-round picks to the Spurs for Josh Richardson in February. Graham has played well with the Spurs, averaging 13 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4 assists over 20 games (eight starts), scoring double-digit points in 14 of those games.
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