Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was arrested on Friday night and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence. The incident, which was confirmed by local CBS affiliate 19 News, happened in Cleveland.
Highway patrol officers spotted Altman making a traffic violation and pulled him over. When he showed signs of impairment he was placed under arrest. He was officially charged with a marked lanes violation and an OVI (operating a vehicle under the influence). Under Ohio law, a first offense for OVI is a misdemeanor and the offender could face jail time and/or a fine.
The Cavaliers released the following statement on the matter on Wednesday:
"We hold our team members to a high standard of conduct and expect leaders at every level of our organization to represent the Cavaliers with integrity, professionalism and accountability. We will continue to closely monitor the facts and circumstances of this matter and await resolution of the legal process.
Altman has been with the Cavaliers for over a decade, first joining the front office in 2012 following a number of seasons as an assistant coach at the collegiate level. After rising through the ranks, he was eventually promoted to general manager in 2017, and president of basketball operations in 2022. That year, he signed a long-term extension that runs through the 2027-28 season.
During his time with the organization, Altman helped build the teams that made four straight NBA Finals appearances from 2015-2018, and won the franchise's first title in 2016. Then, following the departure of LeBron James in the summer of 2018, he guided a rebuild that helped the team land the likes of Evan Mobley, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. Most recently, he pulled off a blockbuster trade in 2022 to acquire Donovan Mitchell, which set the Cavs up as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
