Clippers’ Josh Primo will not be charged after indecent exposure investigation

The Texas district attorney’s office investigating whether Clippers guard Josh Primo exposed himself while playing for a previous team said it has declined to bring charges, citing a lack of evidence.

Primo, a first-round pick by San Antonio in the 2021 NBA draft, had been accused by the Spurs’ former team psychologist of exposing himself to her multiple times during their private sessions. The Spurs waived Primo on Oct. 29, 2022.

Within the next month the psychologist and the team settled her civil complaint against the Spurs, while the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which includes San Antonio, began an investigation into Primo. Last May, that office filed a criminal case for indecent exposure with Bexar County’s district attorney. That prompted the review that concluded Friday, when the D.A.’s office announced it would not bring charges.

The office said Primo was accused of exposing himself five times to one individual over the course of several months. Primo was facing a misdemeanor charge that carried a maximum of 180 days in jail, with the possibility of a fine and up to one year of probation, according to a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office.

“More than one prosecutor reviewed the evidence on each charge in this case,” Bexar County Criminal Dist. Atty. Joe Gonzales said in a news release Friday. “Each determined that there was simply not enough evidence to prove the required elements of the charge and meet a prosecutor’s statutory obligation.”

Since being waived, Primo, who will turn 21 later this month, had gone unsigned for nearly a year until September, when the Clippers signed him to a two-way contract. The signing was met by vocal push-back by fans as it occurred the same day the NBA suspended Primo for four games after the findings of its own investigation, which determined that he “engaged in inappropriate and offensive behavior by exposing himself to women.”

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In announcing its four-game punishment, the league wrote that Primo “maintains that his conduct was not intentional, and the league did not find evidence that he engaged in any sexual or other misconduct apart from these brief exposures. Nevertheless, this behavior does not conform to league standards and warrants discipline.”

The Clippers’ top basketball executive, Lawrence Frank, said in September that before deciding to sign Primo the team had spent months consulting with specialists working in mental-health fields who had evaluated the 6-foot-6 guard. Shortly after Primo signed with the Clippers, he said he would continue taking part in therapy. In September, Primo said he hoped to build trust from Clippers teammates and staffers but acknowledged “it’s not gonna happen overnight.”

Last month, the team promoted Primo to a standard NBA contract that lasts two years, with a partial guarantee in the second year. He has yet to appear in a game for the Clippers this season.