The man accusing NBA players Marcus and Markieff Morris of aggravated assault was on Tuesday pressed by defense lawyers about his financial motives in the case.
An Arizona grand jury indicted the Morris brothers on felony aggravated assault charges. They are accused of helping three other people beat Erik Hood outside a Phoenix recreation center on Jan. 24, 2015.
Two of the other codefendants pleaded guilty on Wednesday last week to the same charges. The Morris brothers and the final defendant, Gerald Bowman, have pleaded not guilty.
Hood told Phoenix police he was leaving a high-school basketball game when he was approached by a friend of the Morris brothers.
Hood said the man was speaking to him when he was punched in the back of the head.
Hood tried to run, but fell down before five men, including the Morris twins, punched and kicked him repeatedly, authorities said.
All five left in a Rolls-Royce Phantom, police said.
Hood, 36, testified he wanted justice for the incident that left him with a broken nose and other injuries.
The Morris brothers have known Hood since they were promising teenage Amateur Athletic Union players, but Hood testified they had a falling out in 2011.
Hood testified that his relationship with the brothers became strained because of a misinterpreted text message he sent their mother.
He said there was nothing “improper” happening with him and their mother.
Defense attorney Timothy Eckstein suggested Hood knew he had no chance of having a professional relationship with the players after the 2011 incident, but Hood insisted their relationship was not based on the twins making it to the NBA.
The Morris brothers were drafted back-to-back in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft. The 2.06m tall twins became teammates in 2013 when Marcus Morris was traded to the Phoenix Suns.
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