Hornets forward responds to viral photo allegedly showing him drinking lean
Mar 23, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) looks on in a time out during the first half against the New York Knicks at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
One Charlotte Hornets player seems to have snitched on himself on social media this week.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges drew scrutiny for a post that he made to his Instagram Story. Bridges shared a photo that appeared to show himself with a blunt and a double cup containing a purple-pink liquid.
https://twitter.com/currypistonn/status/1534009841924153344
The post, which has since been deleted, led to speculation that Bridges was drinking lean. Also known as “sizzurp,” lean is a recreational drug that generally consists of some kind of cough syrup (which contains codeine) mixed together with a soft drink. It is usually purple in color and is often consumed out of a double cup like the kind Bridges seemed to be holding.
Bridges appeared to respond to the viral photo in a tweet, writing “Pink lemonade” in an apparent reference to what he was drinking. He later deleted that tweet as well.
https://twitter.com/PGSupremacy/status/1534024257889521664
The blunt is not really a big deal since recreational marijuana is now legal in many states, including Bridges’ home state of Michigan. The NBA no longer tests for marijuana these days either. But the lean speculation is a bit more problematic, especially since codeine qualifies as a banned “drug of abuse” under the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement.
Bridges, 24, is coming off a breakout season where he averaged 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for Charlotte. It is unclear if he posted the photo to his public story by accident, possibly having intended it for a DM instead or for close friends only.
A story from several years ago revealed just how popular drinking lean seems to be among NBA players. But that will probably not make Bridges look any better here after his apparent social media gaffe.
