Professional basketball star Tony Parker says he suffered a scratched retina on one of his eyes during a New York City nightclub brawl involving singer Chris Brown and members of hip-hop star Drake’s entourage.
The guard for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association, wearing dark sunglasses, described the incident Friday in Paris during a news conference posted on YouTube.
He said he expects to be sidelined for about a week while the French team prepares for the Summer Olympics.
Parker said he was wearing a “therapeutic” contact lens and had to go to an emergency room for treatment after arriving in Paris.
Parker said: “I was with my friend Chris Brown and me and my friends took some punches, so I’ll be missing the start of the French team because I can’t do anything for a week except keep the lens in and then take drops.”
Police said Brown, his girlfriend and his bodyguard were among several people injured during the bottle-hurling fight early Thursday at W.i.P in SoHo.
Parker said “they started throwing bottles everywhere. I don’t know what happened. At first it was OK, but then it started getting worse and when the plane landed it was really hurting so I went straight to the ER.”
The Spurs declined comment. – ctv