Former NBA Player Arrested For Allegedly Stealing Groceries
Former NBA Player Arrested For Allegedly Stealing From Grocery Store
Courtney Fortson’s life has seen its share of basketball-related ups and downs in the public eye, and the former NBA player is going through it again in his personal life after being arrested in Arkansas.
According to the KNWA Fox 24, the Lowell Police Department says that on Oct. 14, a supermarket employee witnessed Fortson attempt to walk out of the store with a cart full of food after only scanning $4.48 worth of goods at the self-checkout.
The manager stopped Fortson and asked him for his receipt, and he said he’d have to go back to the counter to get it, which is when things went awry.
“However, when the employee began helping another customer, [Fortson] walked outside, got into his car, and left the shopping cart,” the affidavit reads.
That prompted the manager to go back and examine old security footage, which showed that between September and October, there were a total of six instances when Fortson’s cart was full, but credit card records show he only scanned between one and three items. For the month alone, he’s estimated to have stolen around $1,065 worth of goods.
Lowell Police took the 37-year-old into custody on Oct. 23, and he was booked on seven counts of breaking or entering, seven counts of commercial burglary, and one count of theft of property. He was released on a $10,000 bond and awaits a hearing in Benton County Circuit Court on Dec. 1.
Fortson first rose to basketball stardom as a standout at the University of Arkansas, where he played for the Razorbacks from 2008 to 2010. After he wasn’t picked in the 2010 NBA draft, he went the overseas route, with a stint in Romania before getting a spot on the Reno Big Horns, the Sacramento Kings’ G-League affiliate.
He’d later move on to the South Bay Lakers, and eventually got some NBA time with the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers before heading back down to the minor leagues, where he was named to the 2013 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
From there, he moved through leagues in Russia, Turkey, France, and, as recently as 2024, China’s national basketball league.
See social media’s reaction to Fortson’s legal problems below.
