NBA news: Kristaps Porzingis releases statement on rape allegation

NBA news: Kristaps Porzingis releases statement on rape allegation as his attorneys try clearing up the air.

Former New York Knicks player who was traded in January to the Dallas Mavericks, Kristaps Porzingis, has been accused of rape by a woman from New York. The alleged incident happened over a year back and both the Knicks and Mavericks knew of the accusation when making the trade.

The woman, who remains unnamed for obvious reasons has claimed that she waited this long to come forward because she had discussed getting $68,000 from Porzingis to keep quiet. On Thursday though after a year since the incident passed, she went to the law enforcement and filed a complaint as per sources.

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

Porzingis’ camp claim that the athlete is facing extortion and they had, a few months back, informed the federal law enforcement about the woman and her demands which they claim to be extortion without any cause.

Porzingis’ attorney, Roland G. Riopelle said, “We are aware of the complaint that was made against Mr. Porzingis on Friday and unequivocally deny the allegations. We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on Dec. 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. We cannot comment further on an ongoing federal investigation. Please refer any questions to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the National Basketball Association.”

Statement from Kristaps Porzingis’ attorney Roland G. Riopelle, obtained by @IanBegley: pic.twitter.com/gHVjk3RfP3

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 31, 2019

The woman accuses Porzingis of the attack on 7th February 2018, a few hours after tearing his ACL, at the Sky Building in New York where both Porzingis and the woman reside.

The league is aware of the situation as Porzingis and his lawyer reached out to them and informed them of the situation a few months back. Dallas Mavericks who were negotiating with the New York Knicks in January were informed by the Knicks about the situation.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, in an email to the Post, said the team is aware of the accusation, but “we have been instructed by federal authorities not to comment.”

An NYPD spokesperson would not confirm the Post report, issuing this statement: “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.”