Former Duke star and NBA forward Kyle Singler was arrested in Whitefield, Oklahoma, on Thursday, October 23, 2025, after allegedly assaulting and threatening his girlfriend. According to a probable cause affidavit, Singler’s girlfriend told deputies that he grabbed her by the head and shoved her to the ground at an Airbnb where they were staying with their child. Local NBC affiliate KFOR reported that Singler allegedly threatened to rape the woman and was attempting to "get to her toddler" during the altercation.
Responding officers from the Haskell County Sheriff's Office noted that Singler appeared to be under the influence of narcotics and was largely uncooperative. Singler was booked into the Haskell County jail on a misdemeanor charge of assault and battery in the presence of a child and was later released on a $6,000 bond.
This violent incident marks a disturbing escalation in Singler's public struggles, which first drew national attention in late 2024 through a series of cryptic, shirtless Instagram videos. In those posts, the former National Championship MOP spoke in a slow, slurred cadence, claiming he had been "mistreated and abused, neglected, [and] made into a mental example." He told his followers, "I fear for my life every day... People in my community make me look out as if I'm gonna be someone that's gonna be a problem... When I'm only trying to be helpful."
While current and former NBA peers like Kevin Love, Isaiah Thomas, and Andre Drummond voiced their public support and urged the league to intervene last year, those efforts appear to have been unable to prevent Singler's recent legal troubles. The most recent development included Singler's unhinged rant where he asked for help on Instagram.
Here’s a closer look at Singler’s basketball career and the timeline leading up to his arrest.
Kyle Singler arrest details
Singler was arrested after allegedly threatening to rape his girlfriend and get to her toddler, Oklahoma City's local NBC affiliate KFOR reported. Singler appeared to be on drugs, the outlet reported, citing police, and his girlfriend had evidence of assault on her face and arms.
"Singler’s girlfriend reportedly told one of the deputies that Singler grabbed her by the head and shoved her to the ground," according to a report in The Athletic. The arresting deputy, Mitch Dobbs, observed finger-shaped bruising on the victim’s face and additional marks on her arms, stating it appeared Singler had "palmed her face like he would a basketball" before throwing her down.
Singler's arrest comes nearly a year after he raised widespread concern with a series of rambling, shirtless videos posted to Instagram. The former Duke star said he had "gone through hell for the last 10-plus years," accusing his friends of playing him "into a fool."
On January 17, Singler released a concerning video on Instagram asking for help.
“I don’t feel safe,” Singler said. “I’ve got people in my life taking my money — this is a message to everybody in my life who has been messing with me. My child is being sexually, physically, emotionally, spiritually abused. Shame on everybody that knows me that’s not helping, not intervening. F–k y’all. Duke, Medford (Oregon), everybody.”
The former basketball star claims that he is homeless and his child is being used as a “weapon” against him.
Here's a closer look at Singler's basketball career.
Kyle Singler NBA career
Singler starred at Duke from 2007-11, averaging more than 16 points per game in each of his final three seasons and helping the Blue Devils win the 2010 national championship alongside current Duke coach Jon Scheyer.
The Detroit Pistons selected Singler with the No. 33 pick of the 2011 NBA Draft. After spending the 2011-12 season playing internationally due partly to the NBA lockout, Singler joined the Pistons in 2012 and started 150 of his 218 games in Detroit before being traded to the Thunder in 2015.
Singler spent parts of four seasons in Oklahoma City, last appearing in an NBA game in 2018. After a pair of international stints, Singler retired from basketball in 2019.