Thabo Sefolosha Gets Huge Payout After NYPD Broke His Leg

The City of New York has agreed to pay Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha $4 million to settle a lawsuit the Swiss basketball player brought against the NYPD after he suffered a broken leg during a 2015 arrest.

In a jury trial, Sefolosha, now 32, was acquitted of all charges stemming from the arrest, which occurred in the early morning outside a trendy Manhattan nightclub in April 2015. Police said Sefolosha, who is 6-foot-7, and fellow Hawk Pero Antic interfered with a crime scene as they were leaving the club and after fellow NBA player Chris Copeland was stabbed outside the same club earlier that night.

Five officers tackled Sefolosha to the ground and in the scuffle Sefolosha's right fibula was broken, ending his season. Both Sefolosha and Antic were charged with obstructing governmental administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Read: After Thabo Sefolosha Arrest Video Surfaces, Hawks Guard Blames NYPD For Broken Leg

Police said Sefolosha had charged them, but Sefolosha said he had been following police commands and was tackled when he stopped to hand a panhandler $20 as he was getting into a livery cab. Sefolosha was acquitted of the charges and prosecutors dropped the charges against Antic.

Sefolosha did admit to having a hostile verbal exchange with one of the officers. In 2015, he gave an account of the altercation to ESPN the Magazine.

And now, according to trial witnesses, the one cop seemed to be in a rage. He'd told them to move; why were they still lingering? Get the f--- out of here. Sefolosha said something back. He recalls lines of dialogue, largely corroborated by other witnesses. "You can talk to people nicely, it works just as well." And: "It's because you have a badge that you're a tough guy."

"With or without a badge," the cop replied, "I'll f--- you up." (Much later, when the officer was asked under cross-examination whether he had uttered these lines, he said, "I do not recall.")

Sefolosha did not back down. "C'mon, man. You're 5-foot-2. You're a midget, man. Relax. I guess I'd be mad too if I were a midget."

Sefolosha's attorney said he was targeted for being a "large black man wearing a hoodie."

After he was acquitted in 2016, Sefolosha filed the lawsuit against the NYPD and five officers, charging that the officers caused him permanent physical and reputational injuries. Neither the police officers nor the city admitted any wrongdoing in the case.

Sefolosha is currently in the final season of a three-year, $12 million contract he signed with the Hawks in 2014.