Troubled local high school basketball phenom-turned-pro Lance Stephenson was busted early today for allegedly tossing his longtime girlfriend down the stairs in front of a Brooklyn home, cops said.
The 6-foot, 6-inch Stephenson – whose website proclaims him the “pride of Coney Island,” and who led Lincoln HS to four city championships and one state title – was charged with assault after the 5:05 a.m. violence in front of the Avenue Z home.
Jasmine Williams, 21, with whom the 19-year-old Indiana Pacers draft pick has a child, told cops Stephenson pushed her down the stairs, and that she hit her head during the fall.
She was taken to Coney Island hospital for treatment. Stephenson was arrested at the scene.
He becomes the latest New York star to get busted for domestic violence, following the arrest last week of the Mets’ bullpen ace Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez.
But Stephenson’s troubles are nothing new.
One of the nation’s top prospects coming out of Lincoln High School, the teen pleaded guilty last year to disorderly conduct in connection with a groping incident involving a 17-year-old girl.
He also earned a rep as a difficult player to coach during his phenomenal high school career – one in which he became the all-time leading scorer in New York school history.
It’s not clear what his latest trouble will mean for his just-signed three-year deal with the Indiana Pacers, which reportedly guarantees the rookie $700,000 his first year, and $800,000 his second.
Additional reporting by Dan Martin