Ty Lawson has been warned to change his behavior off the court. (USATSI)
Ty Lawson has been warned to change his behavior off the court. (USATSI)

Indiana Pacers point guard Ty Lawson will not serve jail time but has been sentenced to one year of probation following a DUI incident in Denver from 2015. The prosecution pushed for jail time for Lawson, asking the judge to sentence him to at least one month of jail time because it's technically the fourth DUI he's had. Lawson was busted twice for DUI in 2015 with one coming in Denver and one happening in Los Angeles. Two previous DUI's, including an underage DUI, do not count on his record though.

The judge denied the request for jail time, agreeing with the defense that most first-time convictions do not end up with time in jail. From the AP:

Indiana Pacers point guard Ty Lawson will serve a year of probation in a Denver drunken driving case after a judge rejected arguments that he needed to serve time in jail to learn a lesson.

A prosecutor on Tuesday asked for Lawson to spend at least a month in jail because his behavior hasn't changed. His lawyer said no one else would be put behind bars for a first conviction.

Judge Olympia Fay agreed but warned Lawson that he needed to change before he or someone else got hurt.

Lawson was traded from the Denver Nuggets to the Houston Rockets last summer, but did not ever really fit in with his new team during this season. After unable to deal him to another team at the trade deadline, the Rockets agreed to a buyout with Lawson. He later signed with the Indiana Pacers, where he will finish out the season before becoming a free agent in the summer.