Former NBA star and New York Knicks' President Isiah Thomas on Wednesday denied sexual harassment allegations made in a lawsuit by a former Knicks executive against him and the team's owner.

The lawsuit filed on Tuesday by Anucha Browne Sanders, the club's former senior vice president in charge of marketing and business operations, charges Thomas with sexual harassment and gender discrimination and names Knicks' owner Madison Square Garden as a co-defendant.

"I did not harass Anucha. I did not discriminate against her, I did not fire her, I did not participate in any discussion that led to her being fired," Thomas said Wednesday in a brief statement read to reporters at his lawyers' office.

According to court documents, Browne Sanders claimed Thomas berated her, called her a "bitch" and "ho" (whore) to her face over a period of months, and later made sexual advances toward her.

Browne Sanders started working for the Knicks in 2000, three years before Thomas joined the club. She was fired earlier this month after her lawyer raised her complaints to Madison Square Garden officials, who conducted an investigation and informed her they found the charges were not supported.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, seeks job reinstatement and unspecified damages for Browne Sanders, who was one of the highest-ranking African-American women in professional sports.

"I took this action because I had no choice. My pleas and complaints about Mr. Thomas' illegal and offensive actions fell on deaf ears. He refused to stop his demeaning and repulsive behavior and the Garden refused to intercede," she said, reading a statement at a news conference.