Kings rookie forward Omri Casspi has denied reports that he was a sniper for the Israeli army.

"I don't know where that rumor started," Casspi told the Jewish Journal. "I wasn't a sniper. It's not true. I was in basic training. But I did hold a gun, and I shot a lot."

Sacramento first saw Casspi when he played for the World Select Team at the 2007 Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis, but he wasn't ready to enter the NBA at that point.

He was busy serving his required three years in the Israeli army.

"He was a sniper in the Israeli army, so how much pressure can be on him now?" said Scotty Sterling, the Kings' scouting director, kicking off rumors. "He wasn't in combat, but he said they taught him to shoot a rifle. But he said he'd rather shoot a basketball than a rifle."