David Zalubowski/AP Kristaps Porzingis is reportedly being investigated for rape.
- The New York City Police are investigating a rape allegation made against former New York Knicks and current Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis, according to a report from The New York Post on Saturday.
- ESPN obtained text messages between the accuser and Porzingis and emails between the woman and the Knicks in which the woman asked the team to help "mediate" a $68,000 payment Porzingis allegedly offered after the encounter.
- The woman alleged that Porzingis was "very apologetic, loving and caring" after the assault and offered to make a $68,000 payment toward her brother's college tuition.
- According to ESPN, in November, after email communication between the woman and the Knicks, Porzingis sought legal counsel, who then notified federal law enforcement due to the woman's "extortionate demands."
The New York City police are investigating a rape allegation made against former New York Knicks and current Dallas Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis, the New York Post reported on Saturday.
A woman alleged that in the hours after Porzingis suffered a season-ending ACL tear on February 7, 2018, Porzingis invited her over to his apartment and had non-consensual sex with her.
Porzingis' attorney, Roland G. Riopelle, said in a statement on Saturday that they "unequivocally deny the allegations."
ESPN obtained text messages between the woman and Porzingis and emails between the woman and the Knicks in which she sought the team's help to "mediate" a $68,000 payment Porzingis allegedly agreed to after the encounter.
According to texts obtained by ESPN, on the night of the alleged assault, Porzingis told the woman he was drunk and invited her to his apartment.
In emails to the Knicks in late October, the woman said she went to the apartment to get an autograph from Porzingis, and once there, they had an "extremely aggressive encounter" in which Porzingis allegedly beat her, according to ESPN.
According to ESPN, the texts in the aftermath of the assault showed the woman wanted to spend "intimate" time with Porzingis. ESPN reported some of the texts the woman sent Porzingis included "explicit" photos of herself.
According to ESPN, the woman - who lived in the same building as Porzingis - also grew upset that Porzingis seemed friendly in person but was less communicative over text.
ESPN reported that the texts portray "a woman who wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with Porzingis in the aftermath of the alleged assault in February 2018, but who also wanted him to honor what she says was his commitment to contribute $68,000 to a college fund for her brother."
According to the emails ESPN obtained, the woman later sent the Knicks photos that she said showed hair loss and broken nose cartilage from the encounter with Porzingis. She said she needed "about $10,000" in corrective surgery, according to ESPN.
The woman told the Knicks that after the encounter, Porzingis was "very apologetic, loving and caring" and made an offer to pay $68,000 for her brother's college tuition.
The woman wrote a letter she said was a contractual agreement for Porzingis to make the $68,000 payment. According to ESPN, in the letter, Porzingis' name is misspelled, and it's unclear if the signature on the paper is his.
Riopelle told ESPN that he believed the letter is "a forgery." Riopelle told ESPN that they asked for the original letter to be submitted for handwriting analysis, but the woman declined.
According to ESPN, the woman told the Knicks she did not want to get Porzingis in trouble "with the law." She said she stayed with Porzingis until 11 A.M. the morning after the alleged assault. She wrote to the Knicks, "the fun times I had with him doesn't negate the fact that he offered to compensate me as a soothing gift even though I didn't ask him to."
According to ESPN, the Knicks' legal department notified Porzingis' legal team of the woman's side of the story in an email on October 30, 2018. ESPN reported that at the time, a criminal complaint had not been filed.
Tony Gutierrez/AP Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in January.
The NBA confirmed on Saturday that they were aware of the matter.
On Sunday, Michele Roberts, the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, issued a statement saying: "We have been aware of these allegations for some time, have evaluated the accuser's claims and, based on what is presently before us, stand with Kristaps."
There have been conflicting reports of whether the Knicks and Mavericks discussed the rape allegations while negotiating a trade for Porzingis in January. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported, "the Knicks informed the Mavericks of the pending rape allegation against Kristaps Porzingis."
On Sunday, Brad Townsend of Dallas Sports News reported that the Mavericks had only heard of an "extortion" case involving Porzingis, not rape allegations.
The Knicks and Mavericks have not offered further comments on the matter since the report.