Ex-NBA player Gerald Wilkins allegedly punched a woman and a man at an Atlanta gas station around 3 AM -- and that's why he was arrested for battery, TMZ Sports has learned.
We broke the story ... Gerald Wilkins -- younger brother of NBA legend Dominique Wilkins -- was arrested on August 18 and faces 3 criminal charges, including battery.
Now, we've obtained the police report which spells out the allegations against him ... and it's not great.
Wilkins told cops he got into an argument with a female rideshare driver who refused to let him inside her car unless he ordered correctly through the app.
The driver claims Wilkins got so heated, he punched her in the shoulder -- and that's when 2 male witnesses jumped in to break it up.
One of the male witnesses claims he was punched in the face by Wilkins during the melee.
A 3rd witness, who was pumping gas at the time, seemed to back up the female driver's story ... that Wilkins was the instigator.
Wilkins says he called 911 and claimed to be the real victim -- telling the operator he was attacked.
But, cops didn't believe Gerald's story -- and ultimately arrested him.
Records show he's facing 3 criminal charges -- 2 counts of misdemeanor simple battery and 1 count of misdemeanor criminal trespass.
Wilkins was a 2nd round pick in the 1985 NBA Draft and went on to play for the Knicks, Cleveland Cavs, Grizzlies and Orlando Magic ... before finally retiring in 1999.