UPDATED Mar. 31, 3:10 p.m. ET: TMZ reports that more details regarding Kristaps Porzingis' sexual assasult allegations have surfaced. Law enforcement sources say that Porzingis allegedly referred to the woman as "my bitch" and "my slave" as he raped her. The accuser said that he stopped assaulting her after she continued to put up a fight.
See original story from 03/31/19 below.
The New York Police Department is reportedly investigating sexual assault allegations lodged against Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis.
Hours after suffering a season-ending injury last year, the former Knicks player allegedly assaulted an unnamed woman in his Manhattan apartment.
The woman came forward with the allegations Thursday, and according to New York Post reporter Tina Moore, investigators found her claim "believable." While disclosing the allegations to police, the woman explained that she decided to come forward a year later because Porzingis offered her $68,000, contingent on her silence, "to pay for her brother's college tuition, but then reneged."
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks where Porzingis is now playing, released a statement to the Post regarding the allegations: "We have been instructed by federal authorities not to comment."
The attack allegedly took place on Feb. 7, 2018 at the Sky building in Midtown. The woman, who lives in the building, told investigators that Porzingis knocked on her door at around 2 A.M., and asked her to accompany him to his neighboring apartment. After the woman agreed, she entered his apartment, where he allegedly held her down and sexually assaulted her.
Porzingis' attorney Roland G. Riopelle released a statement to ESPN denying the allegations made in the New York Post article.
"We are aware of the complaint that was made against Mr. Porzingis on Friday and unequivocally deny the allegations," the statement reads. "We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on December 20, 2018, based on the accuser's extortionate demands. We also alerted the National Basketball Association months ago and they are aware of the ongoing investigation of the accuser by federal law enforcement."
According to ESPN, while Dallas and New York were finalizing Porzingis' trade, the Knicks shared information regarding the sexual assault allegations with the Mavericks. They also reported that the league office had been notified of the rape claims prior to the Post's story.
The NYPD did not confirm the information published in the report, and issued a statement confirming that they take sexual assault allegations seriously. "The NYPD takes sexual assault and all rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors."
