Lakers' Hill charged in alleged choking incident
Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill, who played an important role in Game 1 of the series against the Denver Nuggets, was charged with a third-degree felony on Monday for allegedly choking a woman, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
The incident occurred in February when Hill was a member of the Houston Rockets, and he is scheduled to appear at a Houston court Tuesday morning. The Lakers host Denver in the second game of their first-round playoff matchup Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. It's unclear whether Hill will have to appear at the Houston court in person, or whether a lawyer can appear in his place.
Hill got into an argument on Feb. 29 at a Houston apartment with the woman with whom he had been dating, according to court documents, the Times reported.
According to the complaint, Hill pulled the woman, Darlene Luna, off the sofa and dragged her toward two of his cellphones she had thrown. He then put her in a choke hold.
The woman flew to Orlando where she lived and called police in Houston about four weeks later.
Hill could face up 10 years in jail.
Hill released a statement, saying he was "saddened to learn of the accusations that were filed against me."
"At this time I cannot comment further other than to say that my attorneys are working to gather all of the facts and evidence and I plan to cooperate completely with the authorities.
"I'd like to apologize to the Lakers organization and to all of their fans for the untimeliness of these accusations. I promise to keep my focus and attention on the playoffs during this time and to helping my team win another championship."
He had 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Lakers' playoff opener Sunday.
