Los Angeles Lakers power forward Jordan Hill has pleaded no contest to assault charges on Thursday after he choked his former girlfriend during a heated argument in Houston back in February.

According to a clerk from Harris County Criminal Court in Houston, Texas, 25-year-old Jordan Hill pleaded no contest to his assault charges, and in exchange, he must cough up a $500 fine, undergo domestic battery counseling, make a $100 donation to a violence fund and avoid any kind of contact with his ex-girlfriend.

As part of Jordan Hill’s plea deal, the assault charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor. The basketball star could have faced up to ten years in jail if he was convicted of a felony offense.

Jordan Hill appeared in a Houston courtroom together with his attorney Rusty Hardin Jr., who is known to have successfully defended Roger Clemens in his recent perjury trial. Darlene Luna, former girlfriend of Hill, was represented by the high-profile attorney Gloria Allred — best known for representing Nicole Brown Simpson’s family during the murder trial of football legend, OJ Simpson.

The Associated Press reports that Luna cried on the witness stand while recalling the event, saying Jordan Hill hit her legs with his fist, pulled her off a couch and then put her in a chokehold from behind. She intends to file a civil lawsuit against the NBA star.

“Jordan simply wanted to put this behind him to play basketball,” Hardin Jr. said in a statement. “The alternative is to have this be pending until the season is over and have a trial sometime next year.”

Hardin also told The Times during a phone interview that Jordan HIll’s conviction will be expunged from his record if he exhibits good behavior during his one-year probation.

“Jordan Hill decided to kind of put this all behind him so he could play basketball without any distractions,” Hardin said of the no-contest plea.

Rusty Hardin Jr. confirmed that Gloria Allred gave him an envelope containing notice of a possible civil action.

Meanwhile, attorney Allred refused to say whether her client, who has lived in Los Angeles for about eight years, would file a civil suit.

“If any person inflicts violence on a woman and it’s unlawful, the victim has a right to be compensated,” Allred said, speaking generally about civil litigation. “No victim should bear the cost of her injuries to herself. They should be borne by the wrongdoer who inflicted those injuries.”

When asked if her client was pleased with the outcome of the criminal trial, Allred said, “She would have liked him to plead guilty instead of no contest to indicate he would take full responsibility and be accountable for what he has done.”

Jordan Hill, a productive reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers after being acquired from Houston in a midseason trade involving Derek Fisher, has two years and $7 million left on the contract he signed with the team this summer

Los Angeles Lakers star Jordan Hill quietly surrendered to authorities earlier Wednesday. TMZ earlier reported that Hill allegedly throttled his ex-girlfriend Darlene Luna during a furious argument in Texas.

According to TMZ, the basketball player showed up to court today in Houston to face the felony domestic violence charge. The judge set his bond at $5,000. Jordan Hill was briefly taken into custody before he paid his bond.

Fortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, the judge set no travel restrictions on Hill’s bond. The case should not be detrimental to his performance in the playoffs.

The judge did impose a protective order that forbade Hill from contacting or approaching Darlene Luna.

Considering Hill scored six points in a game against Denver last night in Los Angeles, he probably took an airplane soon after the game to make it to Houston in time for his hearing.

Jordan Hill is next expected at court on June 8th.