The Stockton Kings players and staff were unaware when police officers and FBI agents arrested center Chance Comanche in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2023. According to a New York Times report on Saturday, they expected the 6-foot-10 emerging star to go to the NBA when he left practice that day. It wasn’t until a few hours later that their then-general manager informed them of the situation.Nearly two years after that day, Comanche’s former teammate Jake Stephens shared his thoughts about what happened.“There’s craziness out there in the world, and I guess we all came across it that season,” Stephens said.Chance Comanche and his former girlfriend, Sakari Harnden, are facing kidnap and murder charges against the slain Marayna Rodgers. According to investigators, Rodgers earned Harnden’s ire for allegedly giving the police information that led to the arrest of Harnden’s boyfriend.Comanche and Harnden planned the killing for a few days before committing the crime on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas. He admitted to the deed by strangling Rodgers, an act that Harnden also followed.According to some of Comanche’s teammates in the report, the versatile forward struggled in the Kings' game less than 24 hours after leaving Las Vegas. After that, the former Arizona Wildcats star seemed to have regained his confidence in games and his mood improved.One unnamed teammate reportedly noticed Comanche casually “walking the streets” with them and shopping for Nike shoes. Kalob Ledoux, another former teammate, remembered no difference in their training and warmups.Two days before Chance Comanche’s arrest, the police took Sakari Harnden into custody. The two former reportedly confessed to the crime while the latter chose to stay silent.Chance Comanche directed police to location of the slain victimAfter Chance Comanche and Sakari Harnden reportedly dumped Marayna Rodgers’ body in the Nevada desert, Harnden filed a missing person report. The police could not find the dead victim even after arresting Harnden.Investigators solved the puzzle once they took Comanche into custody. The aspiring NBA player reportedly pinpointed the exact location where they covered Rodgers’ body with rocks.In a sudden twist, both Comanche and Harnden have reportedly pleaded not guilty to kidnapping and murder charges. Comanche’s lawyer wants his confession “suppressed” for lack of appropriate counsel when he admitted his crime. The accused will have their day in court in August 2026.