5 players from 2021 NBA draft who faced bizarre allegations in 2023

The 2021 NBA draft is filled with some of the most promising young players in the league, from Cade Cunningham to Alperen Sengun. However, there are some players from the draft pool who have found themselves in the limelight due to some allegations. Ranging from controversial footage to inappropriate behavior, these players are trending for all the wrong reasons.

What makes it troubling is that some of these players have only just begun to scratch their full potential in the NBA. Be that as it may, it remains to be seen if some of these players can put the controversy behind them.

With that said, here are the five players from the 2021 NBA draft who are involved in bizarre allegations in 2023.

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The five NBA players from the 2021 NBA draft that were involved in precarious allegations in 2023

5) Jalen Green, Houston Rockets

Jalen Green was the second pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. Prior to the start of the 2023–24 season, a viral clip of Jalen Green and former Rockets teammate Josh Christopher was trending back in July. The clip saw Green practicing a s*xual move on Christopher while being fully clothed.

It was peculiar footage involving Green, which garnered a reaction from Warriors legend Stephen Jackson when he appeared on "Way Up With Angela Yee." He questioned the reasoning behind what Green was doing in the video, as he knows that it's not what usually goes down in basketball camps, as per Vibe's Marc Griffin.

4) Kai Jones, Charlotte Hornets

Kai Jones, the 19th pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs and traded to the Charlotte Hornets, found himself in hot waters with the Charlotte Hornets after a string of unusual behaviors on social media.

During an Instagram Live session back in September, Jones was acting strangely live with his fans watching and was even babbling a bunch of words together.

Following this incident, he went on to talk trash indirectly at his Hornets teammates when he was interacting with NBA fans via Instagram, as per NBA Central.

After all the social media headaches, the Hornets waived Jones on Oct. 11.

3) James Bouknight, Charlotte Hornets

Back on Oct. 19, the 11th pick of the 2021 NBA draft, James Bouknight, was arrested for drunk driving and was later released after posting bail of $2,500.

TMZ was able to get footage of Bouknight passing out inside his vehicle after hitting two police vehicles in the process. The footage released also showed James Bouknight with a gun placed on his lap along with a bag of Doritos.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Charlotte Hornets declined Bouknight's fourth-year option of $6.1 million.

2) Joshua Primo, LA Clippers

Drafted 12th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2021 NBA draft, Joshua Primo was caught exposing himself on multiple occasions to women who were part of the Spurs organization, as per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski.

Following his release by the Spurs, he was acquired by the LA Clippers on Sept. 29 by a two-way contract.

According to the Los Angeles Times' Andrew Greif, Primo will still be continuing his therapy with the goal of returning to the NBA.

1) Josh Giddey, OKC Thunder

There has been controversy surrounding Josh Giddey, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, due to viral footage that was uploaded on social media. The footage allegedly shows him getting intimately close to a high school girl whom he is alleged to be dating.

The OKC Thunder guard has yet to address the allegations, and he could face potential suspensions from the league if found guilty on any level.