Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. is the subject of a police investigation following his involvement in a car accident after their Game 2 loss against the New York Knicks.
According to TMZ’s Michael Babcock, the Philadelphia Police Department has launched an internal investigation into the handling of Oubre’s case.
“The question is whether Kelly received special treatment from the cops. Oubre, accused of running a red light and crashing into another car, was not cited. Oubre was also not given a field sobriety test or breathalyzer (though there’s no existing evidence that I’m aware of that suggests he was impaired),” Babcock posted on X, formerly Twitter, on April 26.
According to a TMZ report, the Philadelphia police said the car accident involving Oubre happened at around 1:45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 23, after “Oubre’s 2021 matte purple Lambo ‘disregarded a red traffic signal’ … and plowed into a 2023 Hyundai Elantra.”
No injuries were reported.
After the accident, Oubre played his best game in the series as he scored 15 points in 38 minutes to help the Sixers to a 125-114 Game 3 victory that cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. The 6-foot-7 forward also added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Following the game, Oubre addressed his involvement in the accident.
“Everything is good,” Oubre told reporters on Thursday night, April 25, following the Sixers 125-114 Game 3 victory that cut the Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. “I’m OK. The people that were involved are OK. I need to probably get a driver or something and just stay off the roads, (not) be behind the wheel. But everything is good. I still was able to do my job, support my family, and things are good.”
Not Kelly Oubre’s First Accident This Season
Oubre’s car crash was not his first this season.
In November 2023, he was also involved in a hit-and-run incident that forced him to miss 11 games due broken ribs and other physical injuries.
A video obtained by TMZ showed Oubre telling his wife he was sideswiped by a car as he rolled a bicycle into their residence.
Who gave TMZ a ring camera of Kelly Oubre after he was hit by a car?
pic.twitter.com/lMpjd29TEB— Rob Hodge (@RobHodge_) November 16, 2023
“I’m just really blessed that it wasn’t worse than what it is and that I’m able to come back to work and smile, walk, talk, and breathe,” Oubre said when he returned to play in December. “So yeah, that’s what I have to say about the conspiracy theorists.”
Oubre will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Oddsmakers Install Sixers as Favorites to Sign Klay Thompson
Bookies.com pegs the Sixers as a +325 favorite (23.5% implied probability) ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers who are at +450 with an 18.2% chance of acquiring Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.
The Sixers could have as much as $65 million in cap room, according to Bleacher Report’s salary cap guru Eric Pincus.
With his championship pedigree and reputation as one of the best 3-point shooters in history of the game, Thompson should be an upgrade over Buddy Hield, whom the Sixers acquired in the trade deadline.
Hield has been a disappointment in his first playoff appearance. He’s only averaging 0.7 points, 0.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 3 games. Cam Payne supplanted him in Nick Nurse’s rotation in Game 3.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors for Heavy. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo