As NBA teams prepare for the start of training camps later this month, some competitive global basketball is currently taking place during the fourth window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers.
During the fourth quarter of the EuroBasket match-up between Turkey and Georgia, emotions boiled over on and off the court.
Furkan Korkmaz, a Philadelphia 76ers player representing his native country of Turkey went head-to-head, literally, in an altercation with guard Georgian Duda Sanadze and was ejected after receiving his second technical.
Emotions were so heated the hometown Tbilisi fans even started throwing objects onto the court while the two players were being separated.
On his way to the locker-room, a melee ensued as three Georgian players and various security confronted Korkmaz and an assistant coach.
“When I was talking to the tunnel, our conditioning guy was with me,” Korkmaz said, per BasketNews. “As soon as we walked out of the tunnel and were trying to reach the locker room, I saw three Georgian players alongside two security guys running at us. We started throwing punches at each other. That’s basically what happened.”
“It was like a street fight. There was no talk or conversation. People just came at us and were trying to attack us. Of course, we reacted and tried to defend ourselves,” he continued. “I also think it’s a security problem. But I don’t know if it’s a security problem or if they just showed tolerance to their players.”
The game ended in double overtime, where Georgia came out on top defeating Turkey 88-83. Turkish coach Ergin Ataman was also ejected in the second overtime and was replaced by assistant Hakan Demir.
“A basketball game was supposed to be played today, but unfortunately what happened went beyond basketball,” Demir said, via EuroHoops. “We have two more games left in Georgia and, unfortunately, what happened in the corridors today was against the spirit of the sport. We expected a more gentlemanly treatment, but unfortunately, it did not happen.
The Korkmaz ejection and incident led Turkey to protest the game’s outcome. Turkey also protested a clock management issue - claiming 22 seconds of the fourth quarter were taken off the clock.
Although unfortunate, the clock errors were not enough for FIBA to overrule the outcome of the game.
Korkmaz was able to return to the team’s practice on Monday, and his team was scheduled to face off against Belgium.
Whether it was in Europe, Asia, the Americas or Africa, thousands of spectators reveled in the opportunity to see the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers.
Watch the recap here of the world’s best basketball’s best players, like NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gobert, Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson.
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