Latrell Sprewell broke hand in fight: report

Latrell Sprewell's broken hand may have been caused by throwing a punch during a party on his luxury yacht, according to a report in a New York newspaper.

The New York Knicks swingman had surgery on his right hand Tuesday and is expected to miss at least six weeks.

The New York Post reported on Friday that Sprewell might have broken his hand by throwing an errant punch at the boyfriend of a woman who vomited on his new yacht.

The four-time all-star came to the Knicks practice facility on Monday with a swollen hand before X-rays revealed the broken bone.

Sprewell suffered a displaced fracture of the bone beneath his right pinkie and he will need to wear a cast for a month.

Two eyewitnesses, who asked not to be identified, told the paper that the Knicks' star was injured when he slammed his right hand into a wall during a skirmish at a late-night party.

Sprewell's agent Robert Gist acknowledged Friday that Sprewell hurt his hand aboard the yacht, but said his client banged his hand while shifting the boat's navigational system.

According to the witnesses, Sprewell had a party while his yacht was docked at the lakefront area in downtown Milwaukee.

At about 2:30 a.m., after a woman Sprewell hadn't invited vomited on a carpet by the bar area, Sprewell wanted the woman to leave the boat, but when her boyfriend objected, Sprewell took a swing at the boyfriend, missed and hit a wall.

Sprewell then cursed in pain and asked his guests not to say anything about it.

The Knicks had initially said Sprewell would still join the team for training camp in Charleston, S.C., but have since told him to stay in New York until the team returned.

Sprewell has a meeting scheduled with club president Scott Layden and coach Don Chaney on Monday.

The 32-year-old Sprewell averaged 19.4 points, 3.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds during the 2001-02 season -- his fourth with the Knicks.