Hawks Center Miles Plumlee Cited For Weed Possession

Atlanta Hawks backup center Miles Plumlee was cited for weed possession recently. Early reports said the athlete was cited for a misdemeanor possession of marijuana and was required to post a $100 bail.

Plumlee Cited for Weed Possession

According to longtime sports journalist Peter Vecsey, Plumlee got into trouble for weed possession in Long Island late last month. Atlanta sources said Plumlee was given a “field appearance ticket” for misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Plumlee is the older brother of fellow NBA centers Mason and Marshall Plumlee. Miles has bounced around the league since he was drafted late in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft.

His stops include the Indiana Pacers (2012-12), the Phoenix Suns (2013-15), the Milwaukee Bucks (2015-17), and the Charlotte Hornets (2017). And most recently, the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks acquired Plumlee earlier this offseason after trading Dwight Howard to the Hornets. He is currently in the second year of a five-year $50 million contract.

Currently, he is slated to be the Hawks primary backup at center. Although Plumlee was released by law enforcement, it remains to be seen if he will be punished by the Hawks or the NBA.

The NBA and Weed

Plumlee’s arrest marks the second weed-related arrest in the NBA during the month of August. Sacramento Kings power forward Zach Randolph was arrested back on August 9 for possession of marijuana with the intent to sell.

He reportedly had over two pounds of cannabis on him at the time. However, Randolph’s charges were later reduced to two misdemeanors—misdemeanor possession of more than an ounce of marijuana and a misdemeanor for resisting arrest.

If charged for both, Randolph could face up to one year in jail. But with cannabis being legal in the state of California, that penalty seems unlikely. Randolph will, however, likely see punishment from the NBA itself.

Outside of these two arrests, the NBA is no stranger to dealing with weed. Former NBA player Jay Williams estimates that 75-80 percent of NBA athletes smoke weed.

Williams suggested that despite weed’s notorious rap, it’s a much safer alternative to prescription opioids.

“It’s easy for doctors to prescribe you Oxycontin and look I was addicted to it for five plus years, so I know,” Williams said. “But when you say marijuana you get a reaction, ahhh, it’s a gateway drug.”

Additionally, he believes it’s time for the league to get with the times. Despite calls from players like Williams, the NBA has not changed its stance on weed.

In fact, this summer NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he doesn’t see any need for the league to change its rules.

Final Hit: Miles Plumlee Cited For Weed Possession

Although Plumlee’s run-in is far from a career-destroying move, it will be interesting to see how the Hawks deal with the situation.

Plumlee’s on-court production (2.5 ppg last season) already doesn’t warrant his $12.5 million salary. Given that, it’s fair to wonder if the Hawks are willing to put up with any slight distraction from the big man.

Plumlee could see discipline from the league or the Hawks. Judging by the how small the incident was, it will most likely be a team decision. However, only time will tell how things play out for both Plumlee and the Hawks organization.