Lakers forward Jordan Hill pleads no contest in assault of girlfriend in Houston

Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill speaks to the media on March, 16, 2012, in Los Angeles, one day after the Houston Rockets traded him to LA. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

  HOUSTON -- Los Angeles Lakers forward Jordan Hill has pleaded no contest to assaulting his girlfriend in February and was sentenced to one year of probation.

Hill, 25, will also have to pay a $500 fine and undergo counseling. The assault charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Hill is charged with assaulting Darlene Luna on Feb. 29 at his apartment while the New York Knicks' former first-round draft pick was playing for the Houston Rockets.

Luna, 29, cried on the witness stand as she recalled the incident and claimed Hill still hasn't apologized. The two avoided eye contact while they were in the courtroom together.

The 6-foot-10 Hill played for Houston from February 2010 until March, when he was traded to Los Angeles.

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Former Rocket Jordan Hill facing charges, accused of choking family member

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Former Rockets forward Jordan Hill is accused of choking his girlfriend of two years during an argument at his Houston area residence.

According to court documents, his girlfriend told police that Hill, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, assaulted her and choked her, causing bruising to her body and restricted her breathing on February 29, when he still played for the Rockets. He was traded to LA on March 15.

Hill's girlfriend says she flew into Houston from Florida to see him and they got into an argument while discussing their future. During the argument, she says she threw his cell phones to the floor. She told police that Hill then punched her in the legs, grabbed her, pulled her off the couch and dragged her to where the phones were, and threw her against the wall.

Court documents state Hill demanded that she pick up his phones, and when she turned away from him, Hill grabbed her from behind and put her in a chokehold in which she couldn't breathe.

His girlfriend told police that she told Hill she wanted to go home and he booked her a flight back to Florida. Police say her friend picked her up from the airport and stated she was not herself and that she saw bruises on her legs and upper body.

According to police, they obtained photos of the injuries from Hill's girlfriend that were consistent with her and her friend's statements.

Hill, 24, is charged with assault of a family member. No bond has been set yet in this case.

Hill is in Los Angeles now with the Lakers where they have an off day in the playoffs. He is charged with the third degree felony, but has not been arrested.

He will have to make an appearance in Houston to face the charge. The Harris Co. District Attorney's office says Hill faces up to 2 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he's convicted.

The Lakers say they're not commenting on the incident and referred questions to Hill's representative.

Hill issued a statement Monday afternoon which read:

"I'm saddened to learn of the accusations that were filed against me today. A this time I cannot comment further other than to say that my attorneys are working to gather all of the facts and evidence and I plan to cooperate completely with the authorities.
"I'd like to apologize to the Lakers organization and to all their fans for the untimeliness of these accusations. I promise to keep my focus and attention on the playoffs during this time and to helping my team win another championship."

Hill added that he doesn't expect to miss any practices or games for the Lakers.

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Hundreds line up to buy new Air Jordan sneakers

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Michael Jordan has been retired for years, but his mystique lives on through his shoes, which have become a fashion statement for many young people.

Nike releases a new pair every year, and every year, it's chaos at malls across the country. At Houston's Northline Mall, police arrested a couple of unruly customers overnight. Hundreds converged on the mall to get their hands on the new iconic sneakers.

Dozens also camped out at Gulfgate overnight. There were no reports of major problems there, but the line nearly wrapped around the building of a shoe store.

And one of the biggest crowds gathered at Greenspoint Mall. Dozens of people ignored police barricades and rushed towards the mall as the doors opened. They started lining up yesterday afternoon to buy a pair. But just after 2am this morning, police pushed everyone off mall property.

"All we knew is that we were standing in line and they came and cleared us out," said customer David Gaddis.

Police wielding batons lined one side of the street, facing shoppers on the other side. Once in a while, there'd be a mad dash for the doors. Finally, just before 6am, the doors opened. Customers were allowed in, five at a time.

Kenderick Uwadia was first in line.

"Oh, I'm relieved, very relieved," he told us after getting his pair.

A pair of cousins bought several pairs. They're already selling the extras online.

"We paid $194 something and we're gonna sell them for about $400," said customer Sammy Veal.

And if they're lucky, they may score buyers. There are already desperate people, like 13-year-old Aaron Garcia, shopping for his brother.

"Because he's not gonna be spending Christmas with us and he kind of already feels sad. So I just wanted to get them for him just to make him feel happy," said Garcia.

The craziness wasn't limited just to Houston. In Indianapolis, some 1,500 people showed up at a mall and police had to be called for crowd control. Once the doors opened, people pushed and shoved, even tearing the doors off.

The two stores in the mall that sold the Air Jordans only had 150 pairs each to sell.

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