Attorney for Derrick Rose calls the $21 million rape trial brought against him a 'sad effort' to extort the NBA star

• e-mail

A lawyer for NBA star Derrick Rose says a rape lawsuit against him is a 'sad effort' for money.

Attorney Mark Baute vigorously denied the accusations against Rose and told jurors Wednesday in opening statements that the accuser willingly had sex with Rose and two friends and exaggerated how much she had to drink.

A lawyer for the woman told jurors in Los Angeles federal court that the incident was 'a classic gang rape' and that the woman was incapacitated at the time.

The woman accusing the three men of rape in the $21 million lawsuit covered her face as lawyers gave conflicting accounts of specific sex acts that occurred in August 2013.

Derrick Rose's  civil rape trial got underway in a Los Angeles courtroom - and the NBA star (above, in June) was halfway across the country saying he planned to win the lawsuit

Rose was not in court but is expected to appear Thursday as testimony begins.

This comes as the lawyer for the woman who alleges she was gang-raped by Derrick Rose and two other men says the NBA star has shown no remorse and even told New York Knicks President Phil Jackson that he's lost no sleep over the matter.

Attorney Waukeen McCoy gave his opening statement on Wednesday after eight jurors were seated for the civil trial in Los Angeles federal court.

The woman is seeking $21 million in damages.

Rose wasn't present but he's expected to appear Thursday.

During an exhibition opener Tuesday in Houston, Rose said he welcomed the chance to clear his name and didn't want to settle the case.

He addressed the $21 million lawsuit before making his debut with the New York Knicks in Houston, saying he welcomed the chance to clear his name.

'I wanted to take it to court because I didn't want to settle,' Rose said on Tuesday, which was also his 28th birthday. 

'I don't feel like I did anything wrong. If I go up there and just tell my side of the story, I think I'll be alright.' 

Rose planned to leave after the game to attend the trial in Los Angeles, where jury selection began earlier on Tuesday, though no jurors have been seated. 

He's expected to be in court by Thursday.

The woman who brought the lawsuit claims Rose and two friends entered her apartment and had sex with her without her consent after she passed out following a night of drinking.

She and Rose had dated on and off in the two years prior to the August 2013 incident.  

Rose and his friends, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen, deny the allegations and say the woman invited them into her apartment and willingly had sex. 

A lawyer for the ex-girlfriend said that by talking to reporters Rose had violated the gag order his own lawyer had sought to silence the parties outside the courtroom.

Rose (above, on Tuesday) did address the $21 million lawsuit before making his debut with the New York Knicks in Houston, saying he welcomed the chance to clear his name

'It's unfair to the plaintiff,' attorney Waukeen McCoy complained.

A federal judge said he wouldn't make any decision without knowing what was said and hearing from Rose's lawyer.

Jury selection ended for the day without a single juror picked to hear the case. It resumes on Wednesday. 

A pool of 50 candidates was asked what they know about the case, what basketball team they root for and whether they can set aside their own sexual moral beliefs and biases.

But the defense attorneys in the rape lawsuit have complained about the lack of black people in the Los Angeles jury pool.

An attorney for Rose's two co-defendants said that only two of the 50 prospective jurors were African Americans. All three defendants are black. 

Rose's lawyer noted that 15 of the first 27 possible jurors were Hispanic, the ethnicity of the woman.

However, the judge said the jury pool is selected at random from a diverse population. 

Hampton and Allen as well as the plaintiff sat through jury selection on opposite sides of the courtroom.

The former Chicago Bulls guard (pictured playing for his former team in March) is being sued by a woman who claims he and two friends entered her apartment and gang raped her in 2013

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald gave prospective jurors an outline of the case, warning that they would hear testimony involving sex acts, vulgarity and profanity.

'Sex is essentially at the heart of what has been alleged and denied,' Fitzgerald said.

The trial threatens to expose details of Rose's sex life, including text messages discussing his desire to have group sex.

The woman has said she rebuffed those offers and never consented to sex with the trio. 

She also has said she was drugged, though Rose's lawyers said there's no evidence of any drugs.

The woman, who dated Rose on and off for two years, told police he and two friends got into her apartment and had sex with her while she was intoxicated in August 2013. 

She reported the incident to the authorities two years later. Los Angeles police are still investigating, but no criminal charges have been filed. 

Rose's attorneys said the woman is trying to extort millions from the former MVP.

She was identified in court for the first time on Tuesday and introduced to jurors by name.

The woman had wanted to remain anonymous in court because she said she was harassed online after her name was leaked and she didn't want her conservative parents to learn about the incident. 

She said they don't know anything about it or her relationship with Rose.

Fitzgerald allowed her to remain anonymous until trial. 

If he kept her identity from the jury, he said it might appear he was protecting her and jurors might assume he believed her, which could hurt the defense.