BEIJING, May 13 -- Dallas Mavericks power forward Kristaps Porzingis was involved in a bloody altercation with some Russian-speaking fans of his former team New York Knicks over the weekend outside of a club in his hometown of Liepaja, Latvia.
It was reported that the men who attacked and assaulted Porzingis were disgruntled that the 2.21 meter player had left the Knicks.
Porzingis was hit by a blunt object. A video of the fight's aftermath shows the 23-year-old player having blood on the face and wearing ripped t-shirt. He is obviously agitated and a group of bystanders are trying to hold him back.
"They attacked me first, and I received a direct hit from a chair. Then they jumped my friends and started to beat us," Porzingis said.
His attempts at immediate vengeance came to a halt when the police used pepper gas to pacify the attackers. Two aggressive suspects were receiving treatment in hospital.
According to the police, an official investigation was underway and Porzingis has yet to issue a formal complaint.
Porzingis was traded to the Mavericks on January 31 and didn't play all season as he continued to recover from an ACL injury.