Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesScottie Pippen has been accused of a very flagrant foul.
The retired NBA star was sued Thursday for alleged assault and battery by a man who claims he was spit at, punched and kicked by Pippen outside famed sushi hot spot Nobu in Malibu after he asked the athlete for an autograph and a picture for his girlfriend's son.
"Instead of a photograph for the boy, [plaintiff Carman Shafighi] received from Pippin...a verbal assault, a spit in the face, followed immediately by a physical beating consisting of a shove, then a violent punch to the face and head that felled Mr. Shafighi to the ground," reads the lawsuit, obtained exclusively by E! News.
The complaint further charges that Pippen continued to kick Shafighi while he was on the ground and the plaintiff couldn't fight back because he was knocked unconscious by the first blow.
Pippen's attorney hasn't yet responded to a request for comment.
The former Chicago Bull voluntarily reported to the Lost Hills Sheriff's Department for questioning following the June 23 incident. No arrest was made or charges filed, but authorities said at the time that the investigation was ongoing.
"He came in and was very cooperative and answered a lot of questions," L.A. County Sheriff's Department Capt. Pat Davoren told USA Today. "Our detectives have to do further investigating, mainly talking to other witnesses."
The lawsuit alleges that Shafighi, a luxury-car business owner, has suffered from nausea, headaches and breathing difficulties since the attack.
"'Sources' close to Mr. Pippen have suggested that our client used a racial slur prior to this attack. This claim is simply not true," Shafighi's attorney, Lee Boyd, said in a statement.
Pippen, who won six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and two Olympic gold medals over the course of his career, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.
—Reporting by Holly Passalaqua