What did Devonte' Graham do? San Antonio Spurs guard pleads guilty to DUI

Things have been looking up for the San Antonio Spurs following the team landing No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA draft. However, the organization experienced a setback on Wednesday night following a TMZ report regarding point guard Devonte' Graham’s legal proceedings.

According to the outlet, the Spurs guard has “pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while impaired stemming from his July 2022 arrest.”

TMZ added that a Wake County District Attorney's Office spokesperson said that Graham entered his guilty plea during his Tuesday court hearing. This came after he agreed to a deal with prosecutors.

As part of the deal, a speeding charge that had been laid against him will apparently be dropped. Graham now awaits his sentencing hearing which is scheduled to take place next month.

The player’s DUI incident occurred on July 7, 2022, back when he was still a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. Police in Raleigh, North Carolina caught Graham driving 63 mph in a 40 mph speed zone at 3 a.m. The authorities later determined that the 28-year-old guard did so while intoxicated as his breathalyzer test revealed he had a BAC of .11.

Around seven months after his arrest, Graham was traded from the Pelicans to the Spurs in February of 2023. He played just 20 games for San Antonio, averaging 13.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.7 3-pointers per game on 38.0% shooting.

Per TMZ, Graham’s attorney has yet to comment on his guilty plea.

Devonte' Graham on his future in San Antonio

San Antonio Spurs point guard Devonte' Graham

Devonte' Graham may have only played 20 games in San Antonio, but the point guard has enjoyed his brief stint with the organization. In an interview with Air Alamo on May 30, Graham reflected on his fifth season in the NBA and said that it was a struggle for him before being traded to the Spurs, where things turned around:

“Year five was kind of a struggle until the trade. I was barely playing with the Pelicans, and being traded was a crazy experience, but I enjoyed the end of the season with the new young group of guys and coaching staff.”

Graham then spoke about his excitement looking forward to his sixth season and his first full season with the Spurs:

“Now going into my sixth season as a pro, everything I've accomplished and been through I've been able to be of my mind. Listening to the people who I know are in my corner, and want what's best for me. Also, me believing in myself and my work.”

Graham was then asked what type of player he sees himself becoming in San Antonio. He said he was ready to do whatever Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich asks of him:

“Whatever Coach Pop needs me to be”

The Spurs are coming off a tough season in which they finished tied for the second-worst record in the league at 22-60. However, optimism has started to abound in San Antonio.

This comes as the team drafted generational French big man Victor Wembanyama and has a projected $37.4 million in cap space to improve their roster. However, it remains to be seen if Graham’s DUI case will have any effect on the Spurs’ offseason plans.