Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha said he will donate a "substantial" portion of his $4 million settlement from the New York Police Department to an Atlanta-based nonprofit that helps support and train public defenders across the country.
Sefolosha announced the donation Friday in a statement released by the Hawks.
"We are all aware that there are still too many cases of police brutality today," he said. "So many of these cases go unnoticed or unreported; so many victims do not have the means to fight for justice as I could. It's unfair.
"While I alone can't bring the type of change needed to eliminate these issues, I want to help make a difference."
The Atlanta-based nonprofit that will receive the donation from Sefolosha is Gideon's Promise, which calls itself "the voice for the voiceless."
"I hope my donation can help give many more people a voice to fight for justice as I did," Sefolosha said.
Sefolosha's leg was broken by police officers who were arresting him outside a Manhattan nightclub in 2015. He needed surgery and missed the Hawks' postseason run to the Eastern Conference finals.
The NYPD announced Wednesday that it was settling Sefolosha's suit alleging wrongful arrest. The $4 million amount raised eyebrows because it is more than the city has paid out in some of its most notorious police brutality cases.
Legal experts said the large settlement is a reflection of Sefolosha's lost earnings potential as a professional athlete.
