Thabo Sefolosha settled his civil lawsuit with five members of the New York City Police Department, Thabo and his attorney announced Wednesday. Sefolosha’s attorney – Alex Spiro – told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he is “glad this matter is resolved.”
While financial terms of the settlement were said to be confidential, James C. McKinley Jr. of the New York Times reported a $4MM settlement from New York City, resulting from false arrest and using excessive force. Sefolosha released a statement through the Hawks‘ official website, announcing his intent to make a donation to a nonprofit organization.
“While I alone can’t bring the type of change needed to eliminate these issues, I want to help make a difference,” Sefolosha stated. “A substantial portion of my settlement will be donated to Gideon’s Promise, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that helps support and train public defenders across the country…It is an extremely gratifying feeling to know that justice has been served and that now, finally, I can truly put this behind me.”
More from around the Southeast…
- Willie Reed won’t comment on his impending opt out clause decision this offseason, claiming he’ll make that decision once the season’s over. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Reed’s excellent play may have placed him out of the Heat‘s price range. While Reed could stay in Miami for $1.5MM in 2017/18, he may command twice that amount on the open market, or more. “I think I’ve proved that I belong, that I can be a factor in this league for time to come. All I wanted to do was play in the NBA since I was a kid. I want to continuously show everyone I belong and I can be a factor in this league,” Reed said.
- Otto Porter‘s “unassuming” game has lifted the Wizards to postseason contention, Dan Feldman of NBC Sports writes. Porter, who ranks 19th in the NBA in Win Shares, will be “coveted” as a restricted free agent this summer. Still just 23 years old, Porter may command a max contract- projected to be worth more than $146MM over five seasons.
- Marcus Georges-Hunt has settled in with the Magic in his first NBA season, rewarding Frank Vogel for giving him a late-season look. An undrafted rookie, Georges-Hunt earned his NBA promotion by averaging 15.8 points over 45 games with the Maine Red Claws. “Marcus is a big-time scorer,” Vogel told Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders. “[He] really has the ability to score, especially in a game like this where you have so many exceptional drivers and the ability to move his feet and have some toughness to him and contain the basketball. That is a skillset our team has lacked this year.”
Sixers and Nets def offer him a max contract.
Yeah I’m not sure the Wizards keep him honestly. I don’t see them being able to knock off Cleveland as currently constructed. I’m not even sure they could beat Boston or Toronto in a series. I don’t see them wanting to fork over almost 30 million a year to him.
What’s the alternative? Let him walk and hope Kelly Oubre develops an outside shot? They don’t have a first round pick this year or the cap space to sign a player
What’s the alternative? Let him walk and hope Kelly Oubre develops an outside shot? They don’t have a first round pick this year or the cap space to sign a player to a max deal without owning his bird rights
Ummm idk what wizards team you’ve been watching but they definitely have the talent. They can beat anyone in a series, just like any top 4 seed in the east. They’re all even IMO. It baffles me how people continue to just count out a certain team because x, y, z without taking other teams’ flaws. Watch the wizards play. They have a strong bench now and have one of the best all-around starting 5’s in the NBA. They’ll be dangerous.