The NBA said Philadelphia police announced they were still not able to find any video evidence to corroborate an account by 76ers guard Kelly Oubre saying that he was involved in a hit-and-run incident that caused serious injuries.
His coach, Nick Nurse, said he was standing by Oubre and his account of events. The Associated Press reported that Officer Miguel Torres said he had not other updates to the investigation and said “No video has been recovered.”
Sgt. Eric Gripp said that video evidence at the location of the account of the crash showed “no evidence that a crash occurred at the Center City intersection where Oubre reported being hit on Saturday night,” according to a quote in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“I don’t think it’s very fair to him to say that he made up some story,” Nurse said. “I just don’t. I’m going to believe him at his word. He’s one of our players and we’re going to stand behind him. And so am I.”
By Monday, stories had surfaced of an account from Oubre in which he said he was struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run accident while walking near his Philadelphia home on Saturday night.
The NBA guard suffered a fractured rib and injuries to his hip and right leg. He was hospitalized following the incident and was later released, ESPN reported.
Though he was expected to miss a significant amount of game time, it wasn’t expected that he would have to sit out the entire season, according to predictions from team members.
Oubre was assigned to work closely with the team’s medical staff to try to expedite his recovery.
76ers president Daryl Morey along with other representatives from the team visited Oubre while he was hospitalized. The 76ers had initially announced the news in a statement Saturday, as they first sent Oubre and his family well wishes.
In a statement from the 76ers, the team said it would share more information as it becomes available.
Police said they had been searching for a silver vehicle that was spotted leaving the scene on Saturday. It was unclear how police have progressed in that portion of their investigation.
While Scripps News reached out to Philadelphia Police, there were few other details. The Philadelphia 76ers said the team has been in contact with police regarding the investigation.
Deadspin reported that there could be inconsistencies in the story after initial reports said Oubre was walking at the time, but video later surfaced purporting to show Oubre entering a home pushing a bike, and in which he can be heard saying he was injured.
Oubre is scheduled to receive an additional follow-up examination by Friday for his injuries as team leadership prepare to release a return-to-play timeline, the NBA reported.