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Ex-NBA player Lamar Patterson has dog seized from hand luggage in Australia

Friday 2 November 2018 07:18, UK

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 6: Lamar Patterson #13 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball against the Utah Jazz on February 6, 2017 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
Image: Former Atlanta Hawks swingman Lamar Patterson had his French bulldog seized by Australian customs officials

Former NBA player Lamar Patterson had his French bulldog seized by Australian customs officials who found the animal stashed inside the athlete's hand luggage.

Brisbane Bullets recruit Lamar Patterson was briefly detained after landing in Australia on Thursday with his dog, Kobe.

The 27-year-old Patterson, who played for the Atlanta Hawks and has had seasons in Turkey, Italy and China, has since been released.

Lamar Patterson #13 of the Reno Bighorns reacts to a call against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers at the Reno Events Center on December 1, 2016 in Reno, Nevada
Image: Patterson was briefly detained after landing in Brisbane on Thursday with his dog Kobe

Patterson had flown on internal US flights that allowed Kobe onboard, before taking a Qantas flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane where the dog went unnoticed.

The 27-year-old said his ticket detailed that he was travelling with an animal, but there had been a "miscommunication" between himself and the airlines.

Lamar Patterson #13 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on December 21, 2015 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Image: Patterson played in the NBA for two years

The Bullets, who play in the National Basketball League, say it was an innocent mistake, not a deliberate attempt to flout Australia's strict quarantine laws.

But Kobe was kept in quarantine and was expected to be sent home on Friday, Australia's agriculture department said.

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"Once I got to Australia the only reason I got found out about him (Kobe) was because he started barking when he saw the search dog," Patterson told reporters Friday.

Lamar Patterson #13 of the Atlanta Hawks handles the ball against the Houston Rockets on December 29, 2015 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Image: Patterson will play in Australia's National Basketball League for the Brisbane Bullets

Patterson said Kobe had slept quietly during the long flight.

"I wasn't trying to scam my way into Australia with the dog, I just didn't know," he added.

"If this is the biggest news in Australia, it is an amazing place to live, so I'm looking forward to being here."

The case is reminiscent of the Johnny Depp "war on terrier" saga - when the Hollywood star and his then-wife Amber Heard fell foul of Australia's strict quarantine laws in failing to declare pets Pistol and Boo on arrival on a private jet in 2015.

Lamar Patterson #31 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the game against Maccabi Haifa on October 10, 2016 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.
Image: Patterson was the 48th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft

Heard escaped with a fine and a good behaviour bond, but a war of words erupted between Depp and then-Australian deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who threatened to have the dogs destroyed.

The agriculture department said the basketball player was fined £231 and Kobe was sent back to the US.

Under Australian laws designed to keep disease at bay, dogs entering from the United States must be declared and have to spend at least 10 days in quarantine.

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