Former city high-school hoops phenom Lance Stephenson — who just went pro in the NBA — was busted yesterday for pushing his baby mama down the stairs of her Brooklyn home, cops said.
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Stephenson — who holds the state record for scoring and who led Lincoln HS in Brooklyn to four city championships — was charged with felony assault, weapons possession and other raps after the 5:05 a.m. violence on the stairwell of gal pal Jasmine Williams’ Gravesend home, authorities said.
Williams, 21, with whom Stephenson has a child, told cops that he pushed her down 10 steps and she struck her head.
She was taken to Coney Island Hospital with injuries that were described as not serious.
Stephenson, 19, was arrested at the scene. He was charged with two counts of assault — one of which is a felony — two counts of menacing and one count of harassment, authorities said.
The felony carries a minimum sentence of seven years in prison. If Stephenson is convicted on all counts, he could face 12 years behind bars.
When Stephenson’s former basketball coach at Lincoln, Dwayne Morton, was reached for comment last night, he said he didn’t know about any incident and asked, “Is it good or bad?”
Told the details, Morton groaned, “Aw, hell, let me find out what really happened, and I’ll give you a call back.”
He did not return calls.
Stephenson’s father, Lance Sr., who lives in Brooklyn, did not return several phone calls, and numerous relatives hung up when asked for comment.
The homegrown athlete’s bust makes him the latest New York star to be arrested for alleged domestic violence in little more than a week.
Mets closer Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez was busted last week for allegedly assaulting the father of his baby mama. As with the hot-headed K-Rod, Stephenson’s troubles are nothing new.
He pleaded guilty last year todisorderly conduct in connection with a groping incident involving a 17-year-old girl.
Stephenson’s off-court woes haven’t derailed his career so far.
He was named the Big East’s Rookie of the Year for 2010. He quickly became a “one-and-done” player, meaning he spent his obligatory year in college — the University of Cincinnati — to satisfy NBA standards before being drafted No. 40 overall and signing with the Indiana Pacers.
It’s not clear if his arrest will jeopardize his three-year NBA contract, which reportedly guarantees him $700,000 the first year and $800,000 in the second.
Pacers president Larry Bird said the team will monitor the situation: “We are currently in the process of gathering information and will have further comments as we learn more facts.”
Additional reporting by Matthew Nestel, David K. Li, Dan Martin and Kate Sheehy