NBA player blames police for season-ending injury

Atlanta Hawks NBA basketball player Thabo Sefolosha leaves a courthouse in New York, Wednesday, April 8, 2015. Photo / AP.

Atlanta Hawks reserve forward Thabo Sefolosha says New York City police caused his season-ending broken leg when he was arrested in Manhattan last week.

"On advice of counsel, I hope you can appreciate that I cannot discuss the facts of the case," Sefolosha said in statement issued on Tuesday.

"Those questions will be answered by my (lawyer) in a court of law. I will simply say that I am in great pain, have experienced a significant injury and that the injury was caused by the police."

Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic were arrested near the 1 OAK nightclub in the pre-dawn hours last Wednesday after allegedly interfering with police responding to an incident in which Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland and two others were stabbed.

Neither Hawks player was involved in the stabbing incident, but police said they tried to interfere with the establishment of a crime scene.

Both were charged with resisting arrest and after the incident Sefolosha was diagnosed with a broken fibula and ligament damage in his right leg.

Videos posted on celebrity website TMZ showed police aggressively trying to restrain Sefolosha and taking him to the ground.

Sefolosha's injury means the Hawks, who go into the playoffs as the Eastern Conference top seed, will be missing one of their best perimeter defenders.

The 30-year-old averaged 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in his first season with Atlanta after two-plus seasons in Chicago and more than five in Oklahoma City.

"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be able to join my teammates on the court during the playoffs and apologise to them for any distraction this incident has caused," Sefolosha said in his statement.

-AAP