Video has surfaced of a bloody Kristaps Porzingis outside a bar in the aftermath of a fight.
The footage, circulating on the internet, appears to have been shot in his native Latvia. The Mavericks star, traded from the Knicks in late January, has a ripped shirt and a cut above his eye. He shoves a woman out of the way to confront another party, but what appears to be either security or police are there to intervene.
According to a Latvian source, Porzingis was coming out of the bar as a group of Russians already were outside arguing with the bar’s security, who did not want to let them in. That is when the altercation ensued. The source said one of Porzingis’ friends was injured more severely.
Porzingis said he was fine but complained of a hand injury. Latvian outlet Avize reports Porzingis may have broken his hand.
In an audio interview from Latvia played for the Knicks Film School website, Porzingis apparently says in his native tongue that an iron chair was thrown and hit him in the head. Porzingis said he threw punches and received a blow to the forehead, and added one of his friends was knocked out cold.
According to another source debriefed on the incident, Porzingis “got jumped, hit with an object and it got broken up quickly. It was Russian Victory Weekend and were lots of altercations in the area.”
In the video, Porzingis reportedly said, “I’ll send your ass back to Russia.”
Multiple sources do not believe the motivation for the assault stemmed from his being traded from the Knicks, as a TMZ report stated.
A Porzingis spokesman did not immediately respond for comment.
“It is our understanding that Kristaps was jumped and assaulted outside of a club in Latvia,” the Mavericks said in a statement. “We will provide an update when one is available.”
When Porzingis was traded, the NYPD was looking into a rape accusation made by a neighbor in his New York apartment. Porzingis’ lawyer claimed the 7-3 Latvian was a victim of extortion.