Former NBA player Darius Morris -- a Lakers second-round pick in 2011 -- was arrested last month after a woman claimed he brutally attacked her ... but now the woman is insisting she made the whole thing up.
A spokesperson for the NYPD tells TMZ Sports ... on April 18, a woman told officers the 29-year-old pro basketball player beat her up during an altercation at a Manhattan-area home.
The woman told cops she had left the residence, and asked Morris to leave by the time she got back. But, she says when she returned, Darius was still there -- and he exploded on her.
Officers say the 34-year-old woman told them Morris "grabbed her by her hair and dragged her, punching and kicking her in the head repeatedly."
Law enforcement sources say as a result of the alleged attack, the woman sustained bruising and swelling on her eyes, forehead, and ear ... and also suffered a chipped tooth and bruises on her arms and back.
We're told the woman was treated at a local hospital ... and Morris was eventually arrested and booked on charges of strangulation and assault.
Cops say Morris was released ... but was arrested AGAIN just a few days later on April 30, after they claim he violated an order of protection.
We contacted Morris and his rep for comment ... but they offered no explanation.
After speaking with Morris' camp, we were contacted by the accuser, who now says she made the whole thing up and doesn't want to see Morris prosecuted.
Unclear what caused the change of heart -- she told us, "It's private, none of it's true." The accuser also says she will go to the D.A. to drop the case against Morris.
Morris was a star at the Univ. of Michigan, averaging 15 points per game in the 2010-2011 season ... and was ultimately picked by the Lakers with the 41st overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft.
Morris played in the Association from '11-'15 ... and recently, had been playing for a pro team in France prior to the coronavirus pandemic.