National Basketball Association

Kobe accused of injuring man at church

Published Aug. 16, 2011 3:41 p.m. ET

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Police in San Diego were working Tuesday to gather information from churchgoers who witnessed an alleged altercation between Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and a fellow parishioner, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to reports, a man claimed he was injured during an exchange with Bryant at Sunday mass after the Lakers guard thought he spotted the man taking pictures of him on his cell phone.

The alleged incident occurred at St. Therese of Carmel Valley Church in San Diego, when Bryant allegedly grabbed the man's wrist and snatched the cell phone. He reportedly gave back the phone after seeing no pictures had been taken of him or his wife.

"We're attempting to interview all the [participants]," a San Diego police spokesman told the Times.

The man, who has not been identified, claimed he had to go to a hospital for treatment on his wrist.

Bryant, set to turn 33 in a week, has been considering offers to play overseas amid the NBA lockout. The 2008 MVP and five-time NBA champion was offered $1.5 million per month to play in China, Yahoo! Sports reported Monday.

But the report stated the deal is unlikely to go through, because the Chinese Basketball League is set to pass a rule barring players from signing contracts with an opt-out clause that allows them to leave once the NBA labor dispute ends.

Talks between Bryant's agent and the Turkish club Besiktas reportedly fell through last week because the team's offers were too low. Bryant signed a three-year extension with the Lakers last year worth $83.5 million through 2013-14.