Dante Exum and Guerschon Yabusele, two former NBA players, were involved in a massive brawl during a EuroLeague playoff match.
Exum, who was selected No. 5 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, now plays for Partizan Belgrade. Yabusele, drafted No. 16 in 2016, now suits up for Real Madrid.
When the two teams faced each other on Thursday, the two teams got chippy late in the fourth quarter. While the altercation began with shoving following a foul by Sergio Llull on Kevin Punter, it quickly escalated when Yabusele body-slammed Exum.
You can watch a full video of the brawl below, but it wasn’t pretty and not what you want to see when you watch sports. The game was fully suspended following the incident. Both clubs were fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.
An ugly brawl has broken out in the #EuroLeague between Real Madrid and Partizan.
There are concerns for Australian basketball star Dante Exum, who left the stadium on crutches after the fight. pic.twitter.com/5QupJJ1ZuG
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) April 28, 2023
OK, that was a lot to process. But it didn’t look fun for anyone involved. Let’s try to piece together what happened.
In addition to Exum, former NBA player Dzanan Musa was shoved to the floor by Mathias Lessort.
Dzanan Musa'yı oradan oraya fırlattılar o karambolde pic.twitter.com/8vaa3ugkqa
— Berkay (@berkayterzi_) April 27, 2023
But the most critical moment was the body slam from Yabusele.
If you didn’t originally catch it, here is a more zoomed-in video:
Former Boston Celtic Guerschon Yabusele slams Dante Exum to the ground during a brawl between Real Madrid and Partizan!
(Via @BasketNews_com) pic.twitter.com/5OVxoFUoRy
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 27, 2023
YIKES.
Once everything settled down, meanwhile, Exum could only get off the floor because he had assistance from his teammates and team medical staff.
After the brawl on the court, Dante Exum leaves the court only with the help of his teammates and medical staff 😟 #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/QgLkYkvCX6
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 27, 2023
That body slam clearly made a serious impact on Exum.
Unfortunately for the Australian guard, he had to leave the WiZink Center in Madrid on crutches.
Dante Exum leaving Wizink Center with crutches #EuroLeague pic.twitter.com/898T9qzvIv
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 27, 2023
Partizan’s doctor, Moma Jakovljevic, revealed that Exum suffered a ruptured tendon in his second toe. The doctor, who described it as a “serious” injury, said Exum also suffered an upper lip injury.
Yabusele posted on Instagram and apologized to Exum, who will likely miss the remainder of the series with the injured toe.
Guerschon Yabusele expresses regret for his actions and apologizes to Partizan and Dante Exum for any harm caused during the game 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a4zWcaYZOn
— BasketNews (@BasketNews_com) April 28, 2023
Yabusele was hit with a 5-game suspension for his actions.
Punter received a 2-game suspension, Lessort received a 1-game suspension, and Gabriel Deck received a 1-game suspension as well.
The decisions are not subject to appeal.
