New Timberwolves forward Taj Gibson was arrested in New York City and charged with a moving vehicle violation and driving with a suspended license early Thursday morning, four days after he agreed to a two-year, $28 million contract to play in Minnesota.
According to the New York Police Department, police observed a 2016 Mercedes Benz sedan make an illegal U-turn in the borough of Queens just before 3 a.m. local time Thursday. Police stopped the vehicle and the operator, identified as Gibson, produced an Illinois driver's license that a computer check determined to be suspended.
Gibson, 32, was arrested at the scene, transported to a nearby precinct and charged with aggravated unlicensed operator and a traffic moving violation for the illegal U-turn. He was ordered to appear in court on Sept. 1 and released from the station house about 90 minutes later.
The Wolves are expected to finalize his signing as a free agent before he and newly signed teammate Jeff Teague are scheduled to be officially introduced at a Monday afternoon news conference.
The Wolves issued a statement Saturday that said: "The Minnesota Timberwolves are aware of the recent incident in Queens involving Taj Gibson. The team is confident that the matter has been resolved and we will have no further comment on the issue."
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Gibson played his first seven-plus NBA seasons in Chicago before he was traded to Oklahoma City in February. He became free to sign with any league team on July 1 and shortly thereafter reached an agreement to play for the Wolves and their coach/president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau, who coached him for five seasons in Chicago.
