Lakers’ Big Man Battling Domestic Problem on Top of Injury

Getty Jarred Vanderbilt #2 and Christian Wood #35 of the Los Angeles Lakers battle Andre Drummond #3 of the Chicago Bulls for the rebound.

Los Angeles Lakers center Christian Wood, who has been out since February 21 with a knee injury, was recently granted a temporary restraining order against his model ex-girlfriend, according to a TMZ report.

According to the court documents obtained by TMZ Sports, Wood accused Yasmine Lopez, who boasts of 1.8 million followers on Instagram, of making his life a living hell following their breakup in December 2022.

Lopez is the mother of Wood’s 8-month-old son, Kobe Sean.

“Wood claims on February 23, 2024, Lopez and her friends trespassed at his California residence by climbing a fence … and she proceeded to scratch the hood and doors of his Mercedes-Benz,” TMZ said.

“The Neighborhood Talk” released video footage of Wood’s vandalized car on Instagram.

It was one of the several incidents of harassment from Lopez, Woods claimed in the court filing obtained by TMZ.

“Wood also details an August 2023 incident in which he says Lopez broke into his home in Encino … destroying statues, glass and vases and attempting to hit him,” TMZ said. “He says friends who were present at the time called the police, who de-escalated the situation.”

The Lakers backup center also added in the court documents obtained by TMZ that Lopez trespassed on his home seven months earlier.

“Wood also accuses Lopez of trespassing at his home in January 2023, when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks … claiming she spray-painted his Lamborghini,” TMZ reported.

Lopez was ordered to “not abuse” Wood and “stay at least 100 yards away” from the Lakers big man with only the exception of “brief and peaceful contact” when it comes to conversation about their child, according to TMZ.

Wood joined the Lakers on a two-year, $5.7 million deal this past summer.

Lakers Sign Ex-Lottery Pick to Fill Christian Wood Void

In the wake of Wood’s knee injury, the Lakers have added Hary Giles III on a two-way deal, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, for frontline depth.

The 25-year-old Giles will join the Lakers on Monday, per ESPN, taking over the two-way spot of Dylan Windler, who was waived to make way for the roster move. However, Giles will only be available for the remainder of the regular season. Two-way players are not eligible to make the team’s playoff roster.

Giles, a former Duke standout who was the 20th overall pick in 2017, was waived by the Brooklyn Nets last month. The 6-foot-11 forward-center averaged 3.4 points on 50% shooting and 1.6 rebounds in 5.1 minutes in 16 games this season.

Giles will serve as the Lakers’ third-string center behind Anthony Davis and Jaxon Hayes while Wood is on the mend.

Anthony Davis Ribs LeBron James Over 40K Scoring Milestone

Davis teased his Lakers co-star LeBron James after becoming the first player to reach the 40,000-scoring plateau.

“I was just telling him in the locker room he might have to stop breaking records because we always lose any time he breaks a record,” Davis told reporters following a Lakers’ 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, March 2, at Crypto.com Arena. “And he said the same thing.”

James reached 40,000 points on a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter. The 39-year-old Lakers superstar finished with 26 points and nine assists but it was not enough to exorcise the ghost of their 2023 Western Conference Finals sweeping loss to the Nuggets.

Last year, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader. But it also ended in a 133-130 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder despite his 38-point performance.