Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton was briefly detained Tuesday, Feb. 17 at an airport in the Bahamas before being released, according to Ayton’s lawyer Devard Francis.
Francis said Ayton was detained on suspicion of being in possession of a ‘very small amount of marijuana’ while at Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas.
Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, last played for the Bahamian national team in 2024.
Francis said the marijuana had been in someone else’s bag, which led to a swift release of Ayton following a brief investigation.
‘The investigators saw that the actual very small amount of marijuana wasn’t in Deandre’s bag, but they still went through their investigations and he was released expeditiously,’ Francis told Reuters in a statement.
Players are no longer tested for marijuana and it has been removed from the banned substance list, according to the CBA regulations.
However, marijuana is illegal in the Bahamas.
Ayton, 27, in his first season with the Lakers has averaged 13.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and a block per game.
The Lakers’ next game is Friday, Feb. 20 at home against the Los Angeles Clippers following the All-Star break