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NBA star Thabo Sefolosha rejects testimony of cops

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NBA player Thabo Sefolosha of the Atlanta Hawks appears in Manhattan Criminal Court.

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpiJefferson Siegel/New York Daily News

Sefolosha, forward on the Atlanta Hawks, said he and former teammate Pero Antic (R.) were getting into a car to leave after exiting 1OAK last April as cops had instructed after ex-Knick Chris Copeland was stabbed down the block.

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  • NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi

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Hoops star Thabo Sefolosha, Wednesday, rejected the testimony of two cops who claimed that he refused to follow their orders after a stabbing at a Meatpacking District nightclub.

Sefolosha, a 31-year-old forward on the Atlanta Hawks, said he and former teammate Pero Antic were getting into a car to leave after exiting 1OAK last April as cops had instructed after ex-Knick Chris Copeland was stabbed down the block.

Before getting in the ride, Sefolosha said he reached out to give $ 20 to a beggar “and somebody pushed me.”

“I look to the side and I see a police officer kind of come in,” he said.

“Did you ever refuse to put your hands behind your back,” his attorney Alex Spiro asked on direct examination.

“They never asked me… I never even had a chance to put my hands behind my back,” the 6-foot-7, 220-pound player said.

Sefolosha described how he was pummeled by several officers. He said he was pulled by his long arms in different directions and was on the ground at one point.

Thabo Sefolosha described how he was pummeled by several officers. He said he was pulled by his long arms in different directions and was on the ground at one point.Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

Thabo Sefolosha described how he was pummeled by several officers. He said he was pulled by his long arms in different directions and was on the ground at one point.

One cop kicked him in the right leg, he said. The broken leg he suffered during the arrest caused him to miss the rest of the season.

The physical scuffle followed a verbal spat Sefolosha had with NYPD Officer Jeanpaul Giacona.

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Sefolosha griped about the tone and language the officer was using to clear the area, he said.

He said Giacona should not be speaking to them that way just “because you have a badge.”

“With or without the badge, I can f–k you up,” the cop allegedly said.

Thabo Sefolosha is on trial in Manhattan Criminal Court for resisting arrest.Alec Tabak/for New York Daily News

Thabo Sefolosha is on trial in Manhattan Criminal Court for resisting arrest.

The broken leg Thabo Sefolosha suffered during the arrest caused him to miss the rest of the season.Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News

The broken leg Thabo Sefolosha suffered during the arrest caused him to miss the rest of the season.

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  • (Alec Tabak for New York Daily News)
  • NBA player Thabo Sefolosha leaves Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, June 16, 2015. He is charged with obstruction related to the stabbing of ex-Knicks forward Chris Copeland outside of the Meatpacking club 1Oak. (Jefferson Siegel/New York Daily News)

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“If you saw me in a different place, you wouldn’t say that — you’re a midget,” Sefolosha snapped back.

In spite of the words, “I kept on moving [BECAUSE] he was police,” he said.

Antic testified that he witnessed the officers “treating Thabo like garbage” and “pushing him.”

The former NBA player who is now on a Turkish team in a European league said he believed the police action imposed on his pal may have been “racist.”

Antic was also arrested but charges against him were previously dismissed. Sefolosha has rejected a conditional dismissal deal.

Police witnesses and prosecutors say Sefolosha was acting entitled and refused to leave the scene. They say he appeared to be lunging toward them when he says he was donating the dough.

Sefolosha is on trial in Manhattan Criminal Court for resisting arrest.

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