Thabo Sefolosha Discusses Incident with NYPD, Injury in ESPN Interview

Thabo Sefolosha watched his Atlanta Hawks teammates compete in the Eastern Conference Finals from the sidelines after he suffered season-ending leg injuries during an arrest outside of the 1Oak Club in New York City. Now, the 31-year-old has spoken about what happened with the New York Police Department on that April night. 

In an interview with Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN, Sefolosha said the incident with Manhattan police has taken a toll on his family and his reputation:

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We are talking about the stress that it has brought to the entire family, you know, my mom and dad in Switzerland, my brothers and sisters, my wife. Also, the damage to my reputation. I've had people texting me about what they saw in the newspaper and things like this. Every aspect of my life was affected by something like this, and I think putting light on the aftermath of something like this, I think that's also something that's important.

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On April 9, the Hawks, via Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, reported that Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage from the incident with the NYPD. The star forward later said in a statement released by Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that "[the injury] was caused by the police."

Arnovitz provided some details of the incident in question: "The police report filed by officer Johnpaul Giacona of the 10th Precinct stated that Sefolosha was interfering with the establishment of a crime scene in front of 1Oak Club, where Indiana Pacers forward Chris Copeland was stabbed in a separate incident."

In the Arnovitz interview, Sefolosha noted he's not able to go into detail about the incident but did say he's "looking forward for the truth to come out and for me being able to speak on it."

On the subject of being out so late when the injury occurred, Sefolosha said he's "always been a professional guy when it comes to basketball" and that he doesn't "think it's a crime to be out, you know, even at four in the morning. It's something I can say I was OK doing due to the circumstances."

Sefolosha averaged 5.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 52 games for the Hawks this season. He added a lot of value on defense with 1.7 defensive win shares, per Basketball-Reference. Atlanta's season ended Tuesday with a 118-88 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Sefolosha is signed through the 2016-17 season after being acquired by the Hawks from Oklahoma City in a sign-and-trade deal last July.