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Former NBA player and Duke basketball star Kyle Singler was arrested Tuesday on assault charges in Oklahoma after his girlfriend accused him of being physical with her in front of their toddler.
Singler, 37, was booked into the Haskell County Jail on a misdemeanor count of assault and battery in the presence of a child.
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kyle Singler (15) in the second half at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 29, 2017. The Cavaliers won 107-91. (Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports)
According to reports, someone called 911 after seeing Singler chasing a woman outside a residence in Whitefield. The former Oklahoma City Thunder player was accused of grabbing his girlfriend by the head and pushing her to the ground.
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Deputy Mitch Dobbs said in the arrest affidavit that he observed finger outlines on the woman’s face and marks on her arms. The woman told Dobbs that Singler is the father of her toddler and that the child was present during the incident.
Authorities said the former Duke standout, who won a national championship with the Blue Devils in 2010 and was named tournament MVP, was uncooperative and appeared to be under the influence of drugs.
Duke Blue Devils forward Kyle Singler (12) reacts with his teammates after the game. The Blue Devils defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels to win the 2011 ACC Tournament Championship at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina on March 13, 2011. (Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports)
He was released on a $6,000 bond, and his former agent told The Associated Press that he no longer represents Singler.
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Singler’s legal troubles come nearly a year after he wrote about messages on social media in which he said he feared for his life.
“I’ve been mistreated and abused, neglected, made a mental example,” Singler, who was shirtless, said in an Instagram video at the time. “And I fear for my life every day. And people in my community make me look like I’m going to be someone who’s going to be a problem and make things difficult for people when I’m just trying to be helpful.
Several NBA players reacted to the video with concern.
Oklahoma City Thunder center Kyle Singler (5) goes up for a shot against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona on March 29, 2015. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
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Singler was a second-round pick out of Duke in 2011 by the Detroit Pistons, where he spent his first few seasons before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2014-15 campaign.
Singles spent the next three full seasons there and has not played in an NBA game since the 2017–18 season.
