Trial date set for Alabama basketball player's defamation suit against New York Times

Former Alabama basketball player Kai Spears‘ defamation and false light lawsuit against the New York Times will advance to a jury trial in Tuscaloosa after a district court judge denied summary judgement motions by both parties Thursday, according to Patch.com‘s Ryan Phillips. The suit stems from a New York Times article in March 2023 that incorrectly reported Spears was present for the infamous Jan. 2023 shooting involving former Crimson Tide players Darius Miles and Brandon Miller.

U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon set an Aug. 10 trial date inside the Tuscaloosa courthouse after determining any person reading the NYT’s story entitled “A Shooting That Ensnared Alabama Players Could Have Been Deadlier” published on March 15, 2023, could reason Spears might have been “complicit” or “involved” in the fatal shooting that took the life of young mother, Jamea Harris, according to court documents obtained by Sportico.

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The original Times‘ story identified Spears, who was a walk-on freshman guard at Alabama in 2023 before transferring to Marshall following the 2023-24 season, as the passenger in Miller’s car that delivered the weapon, which belonged to Miles, that convicted murderer Michael Lynn Davis used it to shoot and kill Harris, a 23-year-old mother from Birmingham. Former Crimson Tide manager Cooper Lee was later confirmed to be the individual in Miller’s vehicle that the Times’ incorrectly identified as Spears.

“Mr. Spears did not get in Mr. Miller’s car and was not at the scene of the shooting when it occurred,” Axon wrote, per Phillips, reportedly citing evidence that showed Spears was walking back to his dorm at the time gunfire was erupting in downtown Tuscaloosa.

The Times, which eventually corrected its story in June 2023 after Spears filed his defamation suit seeking in excess of $75,000 a month earlier, claimed it never accused Spears of any crimes and argued its reporting portrayed Spears as “a potential victim” as a passenger in Miller’s car, which was struck by gunfire. The NYT also attempted to argue its reporting was “true in the sense that, even if some details are inaccurate, the gist or overall summation of the reporting was right,” per Sportico’s Michael McCann.

Court records show Spears did ride in Miller’s car for a group gathering at Moe’s Original BBQ in downtown Tuscaloosa earlier that night, but did not join Miller when he left to meet Miles prior to the shooting, per Phillips. A Tuscaloosa jury found Davis guilty of capital murder in Harris’ death in May 2025, while Miles’ capital murder trial has been delayed. Miller, who just wrapped his third season with the Charlotte Hornets after being the No. 2 overall pick in 2023 NBA Draft, was never criminally charged and settled a civil wrongful death lawsuit filed by Harris’ family in April 2025.

It was the court’s opinion that Spears maintains he was unaware Miles’ gun was in Miller’s car when he was a passenger, and did not know about Miles’ communication with Miller requesting the weapon.

“We are very pleased that a jury in west Alabama will soon hear the facts of this case,” Spears’ Tuscaloosa-based attorney Matt Glover told Patch after Thursday’s ruling. “This decision follows the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that clarified the law regarding the reporter’s privilege.”