The Dallas Mavericks confirmed on Sunday that they had suspended an assistant coach following his arrest. While the specific coach was not named, it is believed to be Assistant Coach Darrell Armstrong, who was arrested on Saturday for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to NBA.com.
The team issued a statement stating the employee had been “placed on administrative suspension pending the outcome of legal proceedings.”
The Mavericks added, “This matter is currently under review by the appropriate legal authorities. Due to this fact, we will allow the legal process to run its course and we will refrain from further comment while proceedings are ongoing,” per NBA.com.
Armstrong, 56, allegedly got into an argument with a woman, hitting her in the head with a gun and threatening to shoot her, as reported by WFAA.
According to an arrest affidavit, officers responded to a call at 1001 Ross Ave. on Saturday at 2:15 a.m., where they found the victim waiting for police with her father in a nearby parking lot. The affidavit stated Armstrong and the victim had been in an “intimate/cohabitating relationship since September of 2024,” and there had been multiple previous reports of family violence.
The victim told officers the argument started after she discovered a text from another woman on Armstrong’s phone, leading to a verbal altercation that escalated quickly.
Armstrong, reportedly intoxicated, became extremely upset during the argument, grabbed a gun, and walked around the kitchen island. He allegedly struck the victim on the right side of her face with the weapon, loaded it with a full magazine, and said, “I am going to shoot you,” according to WFAA.
The victim then left the apartment complex and waited at a nearby 7-Eleven for family and police to arrive.
Officers arrived at the scene, knocked on the door, and arrested Armstrong without incident.
A search of the apartment uncovered a pistol hidden under the couch with a loaded magazine but no bullets in the chamber.
Jail records show Armstrong was booked into jail around 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, with a bond set at $35,000, which has since been posted, per WFAA.
This arrest occurs during Armstrong’s 10th season as an NBA coach, following a 14-year playing career where he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the Most Improved Player Award in 1999.
