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NBA head coach: Sefolosha’s character ‘of the highest order’

Thabo Sefolosha, center, leaves criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. The professional basketball player was about to give a handout to a man asking for money when police officers took him to the ground and arrested him, a former teammate testified Wednesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Thabo Sefolosha, center, leaves criminal court in New York, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. The professional basketball player was about to give a handout to a man asking for money when police officers took him to the ground and arrested him, a former teammate testified Wednesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

By Associated Press October 8, 2015 1 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – An NBA head coach has testified that the character of a professional basketball player on trial after a confrontation with New York City police is “of the highest order.”

The Atlanta Hawks’ Mike Budenholzer took the stand Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court in the trial of Thabo Sefolosha (tah-BOH’ sehf-ah-LOH’-shuh)

Budenholzer said the 31-year-old Swiss guard-forward was highly intelligent and hardworking.

Sefolosha has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor obstructing government administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges.

The case stems from an April struggle outside a trendy nightclub following the stabbing of another NBA player.

Prosecutors have said Sefolosha disobeyed orders to clear the area and lunged threateningly at an officer.

But Sefolosha’s lawyer has argued his client complied with the orders and was singled out by a pugnacious officer.