Hornets’ Miles Bridges Out vs. Raptors; Reportedly Denied Entry into Canada

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Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges will be out for Monday’s game against the Toronto Raptors, but it’s not because of an injury.

While the team announced that he would miss the game for “personal reasons,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Bridges was denied entry to Canada on Sunday and the decision is unlikely to be reversed in time for him to play on Monday.

Bridges sparked speculation about his status for Monday’s game when he tweeted and then deleted “Got denied in the 6” on Sunday afternoon.

While the Canadian government has not publicly provided a reason for denying Bridges entry to the country, it likely stems from his recent legal issues. After facing multiple domestic violence charges from a June 2022 incident, he eventually pleaded no contest to a felony charge of injuring a child’s parent.

As part of his plea agreement, Bridges received three years of probation and was ordered to do 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, 52 weeks of parenting classes and 100 hours of community service. He also was ordered to comply with a 10-year criminal protection order for the woman, weekly narcotics and marijuana testing, and restitution.

Bridges missed the entire 2022-23 season and received a 30-game suspension from the NBA, 10 of which were to be served at the start of this season. Since returning, he has started 12 of his 14 appearances and is averaging 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

Bridges’ absence is another blow to a Hornets lineup that has been decimated by injuries. Star point guard LaMelo Ball (ankle) and center Mark Williams (back) have already been ruled out, while veteran swingman Gordon Hayward is questionable with a stomach virus. The Hornets are looking to snap a four-game losing streak.