A EuroCup game Wednesday was interrupted for 15 minutes after a brawl broke out when a fan ran onto the floor and shoved a couple of players for a Turkish team.
In a scene reminiscent of 2004’s notorious Malice at the Palace, a EuroCup game in Montenegro was interrupted Wednesday night after a brawl broke out when a fan came onto the floor and attacked a pair of players from a Turkish club.
Buducnost Podgorica hosted Banvit, which had a player at the foul line when the melee broke out.
In the video below, what we see is a fan sprint into the frame and shove Banvit guard Sammy Mejia, a former star at DePaul.
Teammate E.J. Simmons, a former Saint Mary’s point guard, streaked in and leveled the fan with a devastating clothesline.
It appeared order was being restored and the fan was being escorted out when Garza came in and delivered a punch to the court-rushing fan.
Simmons went to Instagram to deliver a lengthy explanation of his actions, which he said were prompted when team captain Keith Simmons was blindsided before the fan ever got to the other end of the court to attack Garza.
It took about 15 minutes for order to be restored and the game to resume, which Banvit won 74-68.
Simmons has played in Europe since 2008 after two years in Australia and a season in the NBA D-League.
The 31-year-old signed with Banvit in 2013. He played for the Bulgarian national team in the 2009 Eurobasket tournament, as well, after becoming a naturalized citizen.
Rowland and Garza were both ejected from the game and will likely face substantial discipline.
In his lengthy post, Rowland apologizes that the incident happened but does not express any regret for defending his teammates.
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