Atlanta Hawks' Dennis Schroder charged with misdemeanour battery

Atlanta Hawks star Dennis Schroder was charged with misdemeanour battery early Friday morning at a suburb in Atlanta, according to several reports. The German point guard signed a US$70 million (AU$89 million) contract extension last Fall to stay in Atlanta for another four years.

According to a police report, Schroder and several others were involved in a scuffle at a hookah bar in Brookhaven, Georgia, where the NBA player resides. Police officers responded to a call at 2 a.m. ET (4 p.m. AEST) and subsequently filed charges against Schroder.

The Atlanta Hawks promptly released a statement to address the incident: "We are aware of an incident involving Dennis Schroder earlier this morning. We are still gathering information as it pertains to the situation, and out of respect for the legal process, we will have no further comment at this time."

The police report added that a CCTV camera caught Schorder initiating physical contact by shoving the victim. The footage also showed Schroder and his friends striking the victim with their hands and feet. The security personnel at the hookah bar intervened and pushed Schroder away from the victim, added the report.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the victim complained of pain in his right ankle. "In an email to ESPN, Brookhaven police said they will not yet be releasing the video of the incident because of pending prosecution," a report published Friday night (Saturday in Australia) reads.

In his first season as a starter, Dennis Schroder averaged a respectable tally of 17.9 points and 6.3 assists as the Atlanta Hawks clinched the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. After Paul Millsap walked in free agency, the Hawks are expected to hit the reset button and develop their younger talent. They acquired impressive big man John Collins with the 19th overall pick at this year's draft.