Philadelphia 76ers forward Charles Barkley will tell his version of a weekend dispute in which he broke a Milwaukee man's nose before a decision is made on whether to charge him, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
Barkley, who said he punched the man in self-defense, was not among witnesses to the incident interviewed Tuesday by Assistant District Attorney Michael Steinhafel."Before I make an absolute decision, I'd like to hear both sides," Steinhafel said. "Mr. Barkley would like to come in and give us his side of the story."
Barkley is accused of hitting James R. McCarthy, 25, early Sunday following the 76ers' 110-97 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Barkley was arrested at about 7 a.m. Sunday at his hotel and was released about three hours later on $500 bond.
McCarthy, whose wound required seven stitches, and two friends were interviewed Tuesday.
"We've made our statement to the district attorney and we have nothing else to say," said McCarthy's lawyer, Dave Carlson.
Steinhafel said Barkley and other witnesses are scheduled to appear before the district attorney on Jan. 7 or Jan. 8, when a decision will be made whether to file charges. A misdemeanor battery charge carries a maximum penalty of nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.
Barkley said Monday in Philadelphia that he was walking with a woman toward a parked car when he encountered McCarthy and two of McCarthy's friends. He said he had punched a heckler in self-defense and didn't "regret throwing any punch."
"The man follows me for a block and a half, messes with me and harasses who I'm with," Barkley said. "I can only ignore so much and I wasn't going to fight the guy. But when he walks up to me with his fist balled up saying he wants a shot at me, I'm going to defend myself."
Barkley, 28, an eight-year pro and member of the U.S. Olympic team, was fined $109 in Milwaukee in April on a charge of disorderly conduct after he threw cups of Gatorade on spectators at the Bradley Center during a first-round NBA playoff game.
A month earlier, the NBA suspended Barkley for one game and fined him $10,000 for spitting on fans during a 98-95 overtime loss to the New Jersey Nets.
Last season, the league fined Barkley $39,000 for on-court incidents, including a $20,000 penalty for fighting with Bill Laimbeer of the Detroit Pistons.