Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill faces a felony assault charge after an incident with his girlfriend in Houston.
Hill is charged with allegedly shoving and choking 28-year-old Darlene Luna, about 1 p.m. on Feb. 29 at his Houston apartment. Luna told police that the two had been dating for about two years. He was charged by Harris County prosecutors in March.
Hill will have to make an appearance in Houston to face the charge -- third-degree felony for assault on a family member by choking -- the Houston district attorney's office said.
The district attorney's office said that Hill faces a sentence of two to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. After paperwork is complete, a warrant for his arrest will be issued.
Hill is currently in Los Angeles, sources tell ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher. The Lakers have an off day in their first-round playoff series against the Nuggets before hosting Denver Tuesday.
Hill was part of the trade that sent Derek Fisher to Houston March 15. The Rockets had a game the date of the incident but Hill did not dress for that game.
As word of the charge, which was first reported by KTRK in Houston, began to spread, two messages were posted on Hill's Twitter account: "Wowwwww," and "Unbelievable!!!!!!!!"
The Lakers issued a statement later Monday.
"We are aware of the media reports alleging an incident involving Jordan Hill from two months ago when he was a member of the Houston Rockets," the statement read. "We do not have any details regarding these reports and therefore, as well as due to the personal and legal aspects, it would not be appropriate for us to comment. Any further inquiries regarding this should be directed to Jordan's representative."
Hill is in his third year in the league out of Arizona. He has career averages of 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and had 10 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets.
UPDATE: He issued this statement below from the @Lakers twitter account.
