NBA player Williamson accused of rape in civil lawsuit

New Orleans Pelicans player Zion Williamson has been accused of rape in a civil lawsuit filed in Los Angeles.

The court filings state that Williamson, 24, is accused of two rapes, both in Beverly Hills in 2020.

The accuser is seeking damages for assault, sexual battery, domestic violence, burglary, stalking and false imprisonment.

The lawsuit describes the alleged abuse as "sexual, physical, emotional, and financial in nature".

Williamson - the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft - does not face criminal charges.

Williamson's attorneys released a statement describing the allegations as "categorically false and reckless", and said the NBA star's legal team would seek "significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit".

"This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance," legal firm Barrasso-Usdin-Kupperman-Freeman & Sarver told US media.

The firm claim that Williamson previously reported the claimant to law enforcement over alleged extortion attempts.

Speaking to US media the woman's lawyer, Sam Taylor II, who is with the Lanier Law Firm in Los Angeles, said: "This is a very serious case as reflected in the allegations in the complaint, which are pretty detailed."

The New Orleans Pelicans have been approached for comment.