‘Sorry, not sorry’: American import defends his actions in courtside basketball fracas
By Hannah Kennelly and Roy Ward
The American basketballer at the centre of the heated courtside scuffle with NBL fans in Melbourne on Sunday has defended his actions on social media, saying he won’t accept fans who attempt to be tough guys.
Adelaide 36ers NBA import Montrezl Harrell posted to both X and Instagram in the hours after the fiery clash at John Cain Arena as the NBL began an investigation of the scuffle between his team and courtside fans.
A courtside fracas broke out in the NBL game between Melbourne United and the Adelaide 36ers.Credit: 10 Live
Harrell and Melbourne United guard Shea Ili were both ejected from the stadium for an on-court altercation then four fans were also forced to leave after an off-court incident that followed a heated stoush between the teams.
The NBL confirmed the fan ejections and said on Sunday night the incidents would be investigated.
One fan was shown on TV coverage leaving the building, shielding his face with his hoodie.
Harrell, who traded words with the fans before the incident before being restrained, took to social media to respond to criticism on Sunday, saying he was trying to calm down when the interaction with the spectators broke out. He said he was “sorry not sorry” for standing up to fans, who he claimed tried to be tough.
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios, a part-owner of the NBL’s South East Melbourne Phoenix, was quick to support Harrell with a reply.
An Instagram story post by Adelaide 36ers basketballer Montrezl Harrell after the stoush in the game against Melbourne United.Credit: Instagram
“Spectators should sit down and shut up and clap that’s about it Trezz I’m with you,” Kyrgios replied.
Harrell also posted an Instagram story telling any Melbourne fans criticising him that he wasn’t going to engage in the “internet warrior stuff”.
The drama unfolded following a push-and-shove between Harrell and Melbourne’s Rob Loe after a foul call.
After Harrell pushed Loe, United’s Ili joined the fray, shoving and verbally sparring with Harrell.
As players returned to the benches for a video review of the scuffle, fans sitting courtside spoke with Harrell and other Adelaide players, including Kendric Davis.
A fan wearing a grey hoodie engaged in a physical altercation with Adelaide’s Dejan Vasiljevic while Harrell was restrained by several teammates.
Umpires, security and Melbourne United staff quickly intervened and separated the players from the fans.
United issued a statement on Sunday night saying it would assist the NBL’s investigation, noting the four fans were removed “in order to de-escalate the situation”.
Former AFL star Brendan Fevola attended the game and posted footage of the heated altercation to social media.
Tensions flare in the NBL match between Melbourne United and the Adelaide 36ers.Credit: Getty Images
Melbourne United went on to win the game 113-93.
Adelaide coach Mike Wells was asked about the incident in a post-match conference.
“I’m at the other end of the floor ... so my first reaction was making sure nobody was coming off the bench first, which nobody did,” Wells said.
“At then, the time I walked down there, everything had stopped and I havent seen it yet [the footage] ... when I came back, we’ve got fans screaming at players and ... it’s like all mayhem is breaking loose on the sidelines.”
Wells said he was relatively happy with how the issue was handled, but not when fans got physical with his club’s general manager Matt Weston.
“By the time I got there, the fans were screaming at our players and being really, really aggressive towards them,” he said.
“They can pay their money, they can cheer and yell at us, but as soon as they start putting their hands on people it’s a different game. From what I saw, they put hands on our GM.”
United coach Dean Vickerman was happy with his team’s response.
“The play started with us taking a charge and I thought we just did a good job of getting in front of people and putting our body on the line for the team,” he said.
“Any time there’s punches thrown and things like that, the league’s going to deal with it the right way.”
Wells confirmed Harrell spoke with the team after the match, but said the conversation would be kept “in-house”.
Harrell has starred this season as he tries to play his way back to the NBA, where he earned more than $US38 million.
Brisbane’s James Batemon goes to the basket on his way to 51 points on Sunday.Credit: Getty Images
In further NBA action on Sunday, Brisbane import James Batemon scored a whopping 51 points as his club upset Perth Wildcats 105-84 in Brisbane.
Only Batemon and Chris Goulding (50 in 2014) have scored that many points in a game since the NBL returned to 40-minute games in 2009-2010. Several players also scored 50 or more during 40-minute games in the NBL’s formative years.
“The most nervous I’ve ever been honestly in basketball was shooting that free-throw when I had 39,” Batemon said.
“I was thinking, ‘Man I’m about to get 40, I’ve never scored over 34’.
“It was like I was in a movie, man, it was crazy.”
with AAP
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.