Fansided

Thon Maker was throwing karate kicks in an epic brawl at FIBA qualifier

By Daniel Ziolkowski

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 22: Thon Maker of the Boomers speaks to the media during an Australian Boomers training session at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on June 22, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 22: Thon Maker of the Boomers speaks to the media during an Australian Boomers training session at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre on June 22, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images) /
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In the third quarter of a FIBA qualifying match, the Filipino and Australian national teams went at it

During what seemed to be a pretty routine qualifying victory for the Aussie national team, one thing led to another and ended up with one of the most unforgettable fights in FIBA basketball history. With 4:00 left in the third quarter, Filipino guard Roger Pogoy got a little too physical with  Aussie counterpart Cameron Giddon and he decided to push back.

In most cases, this is where some teammates from both sides would step in and tell them to knock it off, but that simply didn’t happen this time. Instead, the Philippine squad rushed the court and started to attack Giddon.

https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/1013777403485872128

In what seems to be a BIT of an overreaction to say the least from the Filipino side, we see point guard Jayson William flying through the air throwing multiple punches along with teammate and former NBA player Andray Blatche backing him up. Soon their entire squad followed suit and continued to pile up on Giddon, who couldn’t do much of anything except lay there and wait for punches, kicks, and even chairs to stop being tossed his way.

As this went on, there were obviously Australian team members who were trying to help him out, most notably Milwaukee Bucks center Thon Maker. Maker is pretty easy to spot in the videos, he’s the guy jumping around throwing scissor kicks at the people who threaten his fellow countrymen.

https://twitter.com/rickm18/status/1013769471637352448

Theres no way to put all the blame on one team or another, but this looks pretty bad for a Philippines team ranked as the worlds 30th-best national team. In all, a total of 13 players were ejected for their role in the brawl, including nine Filipino players and four Australians.

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After the ejections, the Philippines were forced to play 5-on-3, and decided to just foul out until they were forced to forfeit the game. The win helps Australia stay on top Group B, which they are expected to come out of for the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

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