A EuroLeague quarterfinal playoffs game got called off after a brawl erupted between Real Madrid and Partizan Belgrade on Thursday. Dante Exum, who spent some time with the Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers, was injured in the commotion.
The incident took place during Game 2 of the series at Madrid's WiZink Center. As Partizan held a 95-80 lead with under two minutes left in regulation, forward Kevin Punter was trying to drive around Real Madrid guard Sergio Llull, but got fouled in the process.
Punter was visibly upset and turned around to confront Llull. Soon after, most of both team's benches got involved in a brawl. Punches were thrown, and at one point Real Madrid's Guerschon Yabusele grabbed Exum from behind and body-slammed him on to the ground. It left the former NBA player with a ruptured tendon in his toe.
"It's a serious injury. He will have to use crutches to travel back to Belgrade, and we will have more tests there. His upper lip was also injured," Partizan's doctor said, according to ESPN.
Every player who left the bench area was automatically ejected. Neither team had enough players to continue after that, so the final score was left at 95-80, which means Partizan now holds a 2-0 lead in their series.
Here's a look at the altercation:
HUGE BRAWL just went down in Wizink Center between Partizan and Real Madrid players 😱 #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/wkpzyIQTcM
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 27, 2023
"Euroleague Basketball strongly condemns the events that happened at the end of the game," read an official statement by the league. "Such events do not represent the values of respect that the league and its clubs promote and that the sport of basketball embodies."
Euroleague Basketball referred the reported facts to the Euroleague Basketball Independent Disciplinary Judge, and they have since announced the complete list of fines and suspensions. Both teams were fined €50,000 each -- around $55,130 -- for unsportsmanlike conduct. A few players were given suspensions, with Yabusele getting the longest one at five games.
Here is a full list of the decisions:
- Real Madrid and Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade received a fine of €50,000 each for unsportsmanlike conduct
- Real Madrid's Guerschon Yabusele was sanctioned with a 5-game suspension
- Partizan's Kevin Punter was sanctioned with a 2-game suspension
- Real Madrid's Gabriel Deck was sanctioned with a 1-game suspension
- Partizan's Mathias Lessort was sanctioned with a 1-game suspension
The third game of their best-of-five playoff series is set to take place Tuesday in Belgrade.
