The Portland Trail Blazer forward does not want the punching incident to reflect badly on his career.....
Everyone would remember the London Olympics because of team USA’s accolades over the summer as they made history on their way to winning a second consecutive gold medal.
However with all the stylish plays and the some astounding performances, there were incidents that would be remembered as disrespect to the game of basketball. One particular incident that drew a lot of negative attention took
place during the quarter final matchup between France and Spain.
France had been in the lead throughout the game but as the game came to a close, the Spaniards being one of the most resilient sides in the world, managed to turn things around. With just about 24 second remaining, Spain led by
6 and looked set on their way to earning a semi-final berth against the Russians.
As we have seen over the years, with the game on the line, many teams resort to fouling their opponents in order to save time and allow them to go the free throw line. However, in that particular game, Nicolas Batum took to a more
cynical approach as he punched Juan Carlos Navarro blatantly in a very sensitive part of his body - the lower groin to be precise.
The punching incident stormed the headlines in the world of basketball and a fair share of criticism did come Batum’s way because of the intent it showed. It was the type of incident which reflected very badly on not only the players
but the French teams’ reputation and had it happened in the NBA, the consequence of such actions would have earned Batum a minimum 5-game suspension, not to mention the cash.
However, with just a tad over month past the closing ceremony of the Olympics, in a recent interview to Portland Trail Blazer official blog, Batum has come out to apologize for his actions and acknowledged that it reflects very
poorly on him.
“What I’m mad about is what I showed to people about myself, what I showed about the game, about France, everything,” said Batum. “I feel bad about it because that’s not me. I’m human. I lost it. I just lost it.
“You don’t want this type of action. I can’t do it. You can’t see that on the court. If the (International Basketball) Federation or the Olympics want to suspend me a couple games or fine me, I’m okay with that. I won’t say anything.”
It is certainly good to see that Batum is aware of the wrong doings of his actions, but he should have been careful while he had the chance. Sure, frustration plays a huge part in every sport but Batum would not want an incident
like that to depict what kind of a player he is in the long run.
Tags: