Charlotte Hornets Player Facing Felony Drug Charges

A Charlotte Hornets player could be facing some serious time in prison. According to the Charlotte Observer, Montrezl Harrell is facing felony drug charges after being pulled over in Kentucky last month. The incident happened on May 12 when Harrel was pulled over and he admitted to possessing marijuana. Police discovered three pounds of marijuana, which was placed in a vacuum-sealed bag in a backpack. Harrell was charged with trafficking less than five pounds of marijuana, which is a Class D felony in Kentucky. Harrell could be fined up to $10,000 and serve up to five years in prison.

Harrell, 28, joined the Hornets in February via trade from the Washington Wizards. He played in 25 games for the Hornets this season and averaged 11.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He played in 46 games for the Wizards this past season and averaged 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. 

Harrell began his NBA career in 2015 when he was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. He spent two seasons in Houston before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. His best season was the 2019-20 campaign when he averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Clippers, a team that reached the conference semifinals of the NBA playoffs that season. 

Last year, Harrell got into a “spat” with hip-hop artist Drake during a game. It led to Harrell getting a technical foul and receiving a fine. But when speaking to reporters after the game, Harrell said he and Drake were just talking. “Let’s go and clear that right now. Hey look, I need my money back first, NBA. I definitely need my money back because that definitely shouldn’t have been no tech. If so, you’ve gotta give to me and the coach,” Harrell said, referring to the $2,000 fine, per NBC Sports. 

“Me and Drake was laughing. There was no problems there. We even talked after the game. It was a cool conversation, but it turned left when the coach started chiming in behind the bench, thinking that barking is something that’s gonna shake me. It’s all good. I don’t need all of Toronto on my bumper now. I don’t need Toronto on my bumper now. Don’t get on my Instagram now. Me and Drake are cool, y’all.”