Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman was arrested Friday for operating a vehicle under the influence, according to multiple local news stations in Cleveland.
According to FOX 8 News, Altman, reportedly driving a white Lexus on Route 2 near East 55th St., was stopped around 9 p.m. Friday, and WKYC reported that police observed signs of impairment after making the traffic stop.
In addition to his OVI charge, Altman was also reportedly charged with a marked lanes violation, according to WKYC.
Altman, a Brooklyn native who became the Cavaliers’ general manager in 2017 before his promotion to president in January 2022, was offered and refused a breathalyzer test, according to multiple reports.
WKYC cited Ohio State Highway Patrol officials that noted Altman was “respectful and cooperative” throughout the interactions leading up to his arrest.
“Troopers initiated a traffic stop and during their interaction with the driver indicators of impairment were observed,” the Ohio State Highway Patrol said, according to FOX 8. “The driver was subsequently placed under arrest for OVI and soon after offered a breath test which he refused.”
Altman played college basketball at Middlebury College before landing his first coaching jobs, as he progressed from Amherst College (assistant coach) and Southern Illinois (graduate assistant) before becoming an assistant coach at Columbia.
Then, in 2012, he joined the Cavaliers’ front office.
Altman remained with the franchise through various promotions — including one where he became interim general manager, and then had the interim tag removed, after David Griffin was fired — and worked for the franchise when LeBron James guided the Cavaliers to the NBA title in 2016.
He then helped spark their rebuild after becoming general manager by dealing Kyrie Irving to the Celtics, among other moves that helped assemble a new core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.
Cleveland made the NBA playoffs last season and lost to the Knicks in their first-round series.