2 Duke basketball players face DWI-related charges

Updated Nov. 16, 2021 4:51 p.m. ET

Associated Press

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (AP) — Two Duke basketball players — coach Mike Krzyzewski’s grandson and a top NBA prospect — were arrested over the weekend on charges related to impaired driving, according to court records.

Michael Savarino, Krzyzewski’s grandson, was pulled over for a stop sign violation in rural Orange County just after 1 a.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Chris Knox, a North Carolina State Highway Patrol spokesman. The 20-year-old junior was driving teammate Paolo Banchero’s white Jeep and admitted that he had consumed “several shots,” according to court records.

A test showed Savarino had a blood alcohol content of 0.08, the level at which a driver is considered impaired, and he was charged with driving while impaired and driving after consuming under the age of 21, records show. He was released under a written promise to appear in court on Dec. 9, and his license was temporarily revoked.

Banchero, who was riding in the back seat, was charged with aiding and abetting impaired driving and was released. He has a Dec. 8 court date.

The 19-year-old freshman was one of last year’s most coveted recruits and is expected to be picked early in next spring’s NBA draft. Charges of aiding and abetting a DWI can be brought when a person knowingly turns over a vehicle to someone who is impaired or fails to prevent an impaired person from getting behind the wheel.

The players’ status for Tuesday night’s game against Gardner-Webb wasn't immediately clear. The team is reviewing a legal matter including two players and any further action will be determined by the university, Krzyzewski said in a statement that offered no additional details.

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