Former South Carolina basketball star Sindarius Thornwell arrested on domestic violence charge, cops say

Noah Feit, The State on Sep 2, 2025

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina great Sindarius Thornwell was arrested Tuesday on a domestic violence charge, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

The player who led the University of South Carolina men’s basketball team to the Final Four in the 2017 NCAA Tournament was charged with second-degree domestic violence in addition to unlawful conduct toward a child, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.

Thornwell, who was taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, was granted a $25,000 personal recognizance bond at 2 p.m. Tuesday, his attorney Seth Rose said.

“We are asserting Sindarius’s innocence to these accusations and ask the everyone to withhold judgment until this is resolved in a court of law,” Rose said in a text message to The State.

The incident

The charges stem from an Aug. 12 incident at a home in the 200 block of Glenn Village Circle, according to the release. That’s in a part of Blythewood between Longtown Road and Hard Scrabble Road.

At about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 12, deputies responded to a report of domestic violence at the home, according to the release.

The victim told deputies that Thornwell assaulted her while she was holding their young child following a verbal argument, the sheriff’s department said. The victim told deputies that while she was holding their child, Thornwell threw a cup of water at her and hit her in the back of the head, according to the release.

Thornwell denied striking the victim but admitted throwing a cup of water at her, the sheriff’s department said.

Information about the victim and the child’s conditions was not available, but the woman did go to a hospital for a medical examination, the sheriff’s department said in an incident report.

Investigators corroborated the victim’s statement with additional evidence, a warrant was issued for Thornwell’s arrest and he was taken into custody Tuesday morning, according to the sheriff’s department.

Thornwell in court

Thornwell is scheduled to appear in court again on Nov. 21, Richland County judicial records show.

If convicted on the misdemeanor domestic violence charge, Thornwell faces a maximum punishment of 3 years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to South Carolina law. A conviction on the felony charge of unlawful conduct toward a child could mean a 10-year prison sentence and a fine, according to the law.

Thornwell has previously been arrested for multiple traffic violations where he was speeding, including one instance when he was stopped for driving more than 25 mph over the limit, court records show.

Thornwell as a Gamecock

Thornwell is a Lancaster native who is the only player in South Carolina men’s basketball history to win SEC Player of the Year. He won that honor in 2017, the same season he also earned All-SEC First Team honors as well as being named to the All-SEC Defensive Team for the second time in his collegiate career.

Thornwell guided South Carolina to the Final Four in 2017 and is No. 3 on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,941 points. The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 21.4 points per game during the the season the Gamecocks made it to the Final Four, which was his senior year at South Carolina, and played 132 career games in his college career.

He was also recognized as a member of the SEC’s All-Freshman team following the 2013-14 season.

Thornwell in the pros

Originally drafted by Milwaukee with the 48th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Thornwell never played for the Bucks. Instead he began a four-year career in the NBA with the Los Angeles Clippers, before making stops with the New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic. His last appearance in the NBA came in the 2020-21 season, and he averaged 2.5 points per game in 160 career games.

Since leaving the NBA, Thornwell has continued his professional career abroad, playing in leagues in Germany, Turkey, Poland and most recently with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association where he saw action earlier in 2025.

Reporter Joseph Bustos contributed to this article.