Former New York Knick Kristaps Porzingis is being investigated by the New York Police Department for an alleged rape that took place in his Manhattan apartment on Feb. 7, 2018.
That is the same day Porzingis suffered his torn ACL, which has sidelined him for this entire current season. During this season of rehab, he was traded from the Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks (who were informed of the allegation and potential charges before the trade was finalized).
Tina Moore of the New York Post broke the story.The woman made her stunning allegation against the 23-year-old player on Thursday afternoon — and investigators consider her credible, one high-ranking NYPD source told The Post. The accuser is “believable,” the source said, despite her not reporting the alleged attack until over a year later, and her admission to cops that she discussed getting $68,000 in hush money from the multi-millionaire baller....
The woman — who is in her 20s and also lived in the building — told cops the NBA star visited her apartment at around 2 a.m., and that she accepted his invitation to go back to his posh pad.
Once inside, the towering, 7-foot-3 Latvian allegedly held her down and raped her, she told cops, according to sources.
In a documentary about his rehab, Porzingis — along with his brother and others close to him — said they did at least one tequila shot after returning to his apartment that night.
Porzingis’ attorney released a statement denying the charges and saying he notified the FBI and NBA of an alleged extortion attempt.
Statement from lawyer for Kristaps Porzingis: pic.twitter.com/UyYnrHBhdz
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) March 31, 2019
Dallas was aware of this situation prior to trading for Porzingis at the deadline, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Mark Cuban told the Post he was told by federal authorities not to comment.
On the February trade call to finalize the Dallas-New York deal, the Knicks informed the Mavericks of the pending rape allegation against Kristaps Porzingis, league sources tell ESPN. The league office had been previously made aware of the allegations.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 31, 2019
As of yet, no charges have been filed. The case is in the hands of the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit.
