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Former NBA Player Tywon Lawson Arrested for Shoplifting, Verbal Confrontation with Police Tywon Lawson, a former NBA and University of North Carolina basketball player, has been arrested for shoplifting a bottle of vodka in Colorado and allegedly shouted racial slurs at an officer during the incident.
This is his seventh arrest, with a history of legal issues including DUIs and a ban from the Chinese Basketball Association.
The update also notes Delonte West's sobriety milestone and charges against ex-Kansas player Lagerald Vick.
Former NBA player Tywon Lawson faces multiple charges following an alleged shoplifting incident in Castle Rock, Colorado.
According to legal documents, Lawson is accused of stealing a $34 bottle of Tito's vodka from a liquor store on July 16.
The store owner reportedly witnessed Lawson taking a sip from the bottle outside the store before he went to a nearby restaurant with it.
At the restaurant, he allegedly placed the bottle by a fire pit and later sat at the bar with it.
The owner expressed concerns that Lawson might have been intoxicated, noting he appeared to be stumbling.When police arrived and confronted Lawson at the restaurant, he allegedly became hostile, repeatedly calling an officer a "bitch" and "white bitch." After his arrest, Lawson is reported to have kicked the glass wall of his holding cell and spit on the floor.
A friend who was holding the bottle at the time was also detained but later released as officers determined he had no involvement in the theft.
Lawson is charged with theft under $300 and shoplifting.
This arrest marks the seventh time Lawson has been taken into custody.His prior legal troubles include a 2008 arrest before his junior season at the University of North Carolina, where he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving after drinking and driving with a suspended license.
He also faced two DUI arrests in 2015, one in Denver and another in Los Angeles, pleading guilty to the first and being ordered to attend rehab after the second.In 2020, he was banned from the Chinese Basketball Association for posting comments deemed "inappropriate" and inconsistent with the league's values.
His most recent arrest before this incident occurred in Madrid in 2022, where he was allegedly involved in two altercations at an airport restaurant, including one where he reportedly threw a glass at another customer, leading to his removal from a flight.Separately, former NBA guard Delonte West has reached a milestone of 100 days of sobriety, a positive development amid his well-documented struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
Additionally, former University of Kansas basketball player Lagerald Vick has been charged with attempted first-degree murder in Tennessee, related to a July 4 shooting incident at his Memphis home.
The cases highlight the off-court challenges faced by some former basketball players.