In May, Montrezl Harrell was cited for felony drug possession after officers discovered three pounds of marijuana during a routine traffic stop in Richmond, Ky. In the time since, Harrell’s felony charges were reduced to a misdemeanor possession charge and the seven-year veteran has signed with the 76ers for the upcoming season.
Months after the original citation, TMZ Sports obtained body cam footage of Harrell’s encounter with two Kentucky State Police troopers. Within the footage, Harrell, his associate and the troopers engaged in a conversation that covered all things NBA — from LaMelo Ball to Nikola Jokic, Air Jordan sneakers and the facilities around the league. Seriously.
The exchange was ignited by the officer asking Harrell what he’s currently up to, to which he responded, “I just finished up my seventh year, playing with Charlotte. Right now I’m in free agency.”
In search of clarification, the officer asked Harrell if he was referring to the Charlotte Hornets and if Harrell was on the “practice squad” or the actual team.
Montrezl Harrell talked with cops for over half an hour during his weed stop in May about all kinds of NBA topics — including LaMelo Ball and free agency — and the entire conversation was captured on police video. https://t.co/4Z22fcwYVS
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) September 14, 2022
Upon discovering Harrell was, in fact, a member of the Hornets roster last season, the officer asked what Harrell thought of his former teammate, All-Star guard LaMelo Ball. In response to Harrell’s positive review of the 21-year-old Ball, the officer added that “I think his dad messed him up,” referring to the polarizing Lavar Ball.
As one officer began to describe a pair of Air Jordan sneakers he once owned to Harrell, the other chimed in from outside the frame, sharing that he found three pounds of marijuana in Harrell’s vehicle. In the video, Harrell can be heard reacting by saying “damn, didn’t know that was in there.”
After the officers declared to Harrell and his friend that “we are not the weed police” and informed them that they would only receive a ticket and citation, they reverted back to the original NBA conversation, asking Harrell hard-hitting questions for answers from a player’s perspective.
When asked who is the least-liked player in the league, Harrell responded that “it 100% might be Pat (Beverley) … and he embraces that.”
Harrell added that two-time MVP Nikola Jokic is probably his toughest matchup and was quick to push back on the officer’s surprise that the Nuggets center could win an MVP award.
As they moved on to the review portion of the conversation, Harrell shared that the Grizzlies and the Warriors have some of the league’s best facilities while facilities in Philadelphia and Boston take a hit due to the fact that both the Sixers and Celtics share an arena with NHL teams, making for a cold playing environment.
Bizarre as the encounter was, it is almost all in the past for Harrell, as the charge will be expunged from his record after 12 months.
The only thing left to handle is warming up to the idea of calling the Wells Fargo Center home this season.
Montrezl Harrell traffic stop footage
You can watch the five-minute clip below. Warning: video contains mild language.
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