Hawks' Sefolosha details case of police brutality by NYPD

After Atlanta Hawks swingman Thabo Sefolosha had his leg broken at the hands of the NYPD in April, he chronicled his experience with police brutality in a piece for GQ.

In their attempt to arrest him, Sefolosha claims officers broke his tibia and separated the ligament on the inside of his ankle. The injury sidelined Sefolosha for the Hawks' playoff run, and for a time, he struggled with routine activities like putting his kids to bed and sleeping soundly through the night.

The Arrest

The NYPD vacated 1 Oak, a club in New York City, after Milwaukee Bucks forward Chris Copeland was stabbed.

As the nightclub emptied, an officer allegedly yelled at Sefolosha (who was there separately from Copeland) to "get the hell out." Sefolosha asked him to speak nicely, to which the officer responded, "With or without a badge, I can f--- you up." To that, Sefolosha shot back, "You're a midget, you're mad."

Once outside, Sefolosha claimed the NYPD continued to act with hostility toward him and were "almost provoking, challenging" him. Then, after Sefolosha tried to give money to a homeless man on the street, the five or six officers allegedly grabbed him and put him into an "on-a-cross" position as he fell face-first. While on the ground, a police officer kicked him across the ankle, which led to the injury, Sefolosha said.

Sefolosha and teammate Pero Antic were detained for 12 hours before getting released.

The Trial

Sefolosha rejected multiple plea agreements, including a deal to drop all three charges of obstruction of governmental administration, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest in exchange for a day of community service.

He turned that down because "to accept the deal felt like admitting guilt."

Instead, Sefolosha's lawyers went to court armed with video footage of the arrest, which resulted in an admission from one of the officers involved that Sefolosha didn't commit any crime and in fact complied with orders. That was enough to sway the jury, which led to the dropping of all charges against Sefolosha.

"The video was huge. It was everything. I really believe that without it, Pero and I could be behind bars right now," he said.

The Distress

Being sidelined during the playoffs following a 60-win regular season was one thing. The mental toll, however, was another.

"For a time I couldn't even go upstairs and put my kids to bed. I had nightmares. I would wake up sweating in the middle of the night. I was dreaming not necessarily of that exact moment but more of the whole feeling about it - half scared, half nervous. It felt like I had been just one wrong move away from something much more serious happening," Sefolosha said.

The Fallout

Sefolosha doesn't want to be the "face of a movement," but he does want to help shed light on the issue of police brutality and to see justice served.

"I think there should be some sort of consequences for those officers for breaking my leg and not allowing me to play during the playoffs, and for me to still be recovering and not fully myself six months after that," Sefolosha said.

"It was an act of police brutality, and I believe it could happen to anyone. Now I'm a lot more aware of everything that goes on," he added.

Reports suggest Sefolosha is suing the NYPD officers in the case for $50 million, and while he didn't specifically comment in the GQ piece about the lawsuit, he'll have the National Basketball Players Association on his side.