Getty Georges Niang #20 of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Basketball is unequivocally a team sport. While the NBA might be oriented around stars, with teams endeavoring in a never-ending hunt for stars (the Philadelphia 76ers included), the sport is a fairly simple one at the end of the day. Five players try to put an orange ball through a hoop while simultaneously preventing their opponent from doing the same.
And because of the game’s fluidity, team chemistry is critical to success. And what goes into chemistry? Talent, sure. Respect, camaraderie, accountability, and loyalty as well. And when it comes to the latter, there’s no shortage on the Sixers roster.
That was especially on display on Monday, when Sixers reserve Georges Niang offered up some support to his embattled Turkish teammate Furkan Korkmaz.
“Yo you good you need back up over there?,” Niang tweeted.
Over the weekend, Korkmaz was involved in an on-court scuffle against a trio of Georgian players during a EuroBasket game. After he was ejected, Korkmaz entered the tunnel towards the locker room, where, according to sportscaster Ismail Senol, the fighting continued.
After the game, Korkmaz explained his behavior and what went down on the court.
“As part of the game, he is going to say something and you are going to say something back. I reacted as a human being, as a man, I just showed a reaction,” Korkmaz said.
Sixers GM Weighs in on the Fighting
Niang wasn’t the only Sixer to tweet out a response to Korkmaz’s fight. In a comment to Niang’s call for backup, President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey tweeted a gif from Dragon Ball Z of fighter Goku “join[ing] the fight.”
If Korkmaz does require some backup, he might want to look elsewhere than Niang, at least if their 2-Man Combination stats are to be believed. The tandem posted a minus-0.6 points total on the court together.
Instead, perhaps Korkmaz should check in on teammate Tobias Harris for some support. After all, the tandem mustered a plus-3.2 points when sharing the court. Even Tyrese Maxey would be a better addition, with the two going for plus-1.6 points per game when on the floor together.
Korkmaz Opens Up About Tunnel Altercation
Korkmaz provided more detail on what happened following his ejection from the game. And what he describes sounds less NBA JAM and more EA Sports UFC.
“When I was talking to the tunnel, our conditioning guy was with me,” Korkmaz explained, per Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews. “As soon as we walked out of the tunnel and were trying to reach the locker room, I saw three Georgian players alongside two security guys running at us. We started throwing punches at each other. That’s basically what happened.
“People just came at us and were trying to attack us. Of course, we reacted and tried to defend ourselves – exactly what we are going to do as men. I also think it’s a security problem. But I don’t know if it’s a security problem or if they just showed tolerance to their players.”
FIBA, Europe’s basketball governing body, announced an investigation into the game and tunnel incident involving the two teams after the game.
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Sixers Star Comes to the Defense of ‘Attacked’ Teammate