Aces' Williams facing 9 domestic battery charges

Las Vegas Aces guard Riquna Williams was arrested Tuesday on domestic battery charges.

Williams faces five felony charges, including multiple counts of domestic battery by strangulation, coercion with the threat or use of physical force, and assault with use of a weapon, according to court records. She also faces four misdemeanor domestic battery charges.

A judge on Wednesday allowed Williams, 33, to be released from jail without bail less than a day after her arrest, but said she can have no contact with her alleged victim and must comply with alcohol monitoring pending another court appearance Aug. 2.

Williams will not be allowed to participate in team activities, according to a statement released by the Aces on Wednesday afternoon.

"The Las Vegas Aces were made aware of domestic violence charges against a member of our team, Riquna Williams," the statement read. "As an organization, we condemn domestic violence of any kind. At this time, Riquna Williams will be precluded from participating in team activities. Our thoughts are with the parties involved in this situation. We are currently gathering more information, and as such we will not have any further comments at this time."

"We are aware of the alleged incident and are in the process of gathering more information," the WNBA added in a statement Wednesday.

Williams' public defender, Ryan Bashor, told the judge that his client has lived in Nevada for five years and that "there should be no issue with a no-contact order" since the person Williams is accused of attacking "is in the process or has already relocated" out of the house.

Prosecutor Glen O'Brien cited what he called "violence and damage to the victim" but did not identify the person. It was not clear whether the person was injured or required medical treatment.

Justice of the Peace Rebecca Saxe noted that the charges stemmed from acts that police said "occurred over an extended period of time."

"We've been advised of the situation involving one of our members from the Las Vegas Aces," WNBA players association executive director Terri Jackson said in a statement to ESPN. "We are monitoring the situation and have no further comment at this time."

Williams had previously been suspended 10 games by the WNBA in 2019 while a member of the Los Angeles Sparks after a domestic violence incident in Florida involving her then-ex-girlfriend that led to Williams' arrest on felony charges.

Williams, who was drafted out of Miami in 2012 and has been with the Aces since 2021, had yet to appear in the 2023 WNBA season while dealing with a lower back injury.

ESPN's Alexa Philippou and The Associated Press contributed to this report.