The New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday inked veteran NBA forward Dante Cunningham, who had been in search of a team since August when domestic violence charges against him were dropped.
Cunningham owns career averages of 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds over five NBA seasons, the last two with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
He was an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, but did not draw any offers after he was arrested in April on domestic assault charges.
In that complaint, a woman told police that during an argument at Cunningham’s Minneapolis home, he slammed her against the wall and choked her. The charges were dropped in August because of inconsistencies in the woman’s story.
“Dante was charged with some serious allegations and he’s been adamant in his stance for his innocence,” Pelicans general manager Dell Demps told the Times-Picayune newspaper in an article published on its NOLA.com Web site.
“Through our investigations, we didn’t find anything contrary to his statements,” Demps said.
Cunningham, 27, worked out with the Pelicans last week and took part in their shoot-around on Thursday morning prior to their game against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
After the shoot-around, Cunningham spoke to reporters in Oakland, acknowledging it had been “a rough couple of months.”
“But at this time it’s definitely behind me,” he told the Times-Picayune. “I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I’m a stronger person for it. Being back where I love to be ... is definitely a weight off my shoulders.”
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