Wade Baldwin brings near brawl to a head with questionable jubilation
On the 28th day of the Euroleague, Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul beat Ergin Ataman-coached Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens on the road with a final score of 85-83 thanks to a decisive basket by Wade Baldwin at the buzzer. With this success, the 20th of the season, the Turkish club consolidated the top spot in the standings, while the Greeks cashed in their 12th loss in the competition, still remaining in the play-in zone.
After the basket at the deadline that decided the game, a brawl broke out on the parquet. Baldwin, the author of the winning shot, cheered by posing over the Panathinaikos logo in response to what had happened in the first leg game in Istanbul, when some Greek players had celebrated over the Fenerbahce logo after Panathinaikos’ 81-77 victory.
The gesture sent a chorus of cheers through the court.
The gesture sent Panathinaikos center Mathias Lessort into a rage as he headed toward Baldwin. A confrontation ensued that saw more than one athlete at work in the role of peacemaker. After the situation seemed to have calmed down, Baldwin greeted the Panathinaikos fans. At that point Kostas Sloukas, guard of the Greek club, intervened, sparking a new moment of tension with some mutual pushing, again contained by some of the players.
“What Baldwin did was unprofessional – said Cedi Osman, Panathinaikos wing, after the game -The disrespect towards our club is a much more serious matter than he thinks. Panathinaikos is a much bigger club than he imagines. The tension clearly arose from that. You can win and celebrate, sure, but not in a provocative way. We and our fans will not forget that”.
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He was echoed by Juancho Hernangómez, another wing of the Hellenic team: “Kudos for the decisive shot, but what he did was really disrespectful. He stayed in the center of the field and stepped on our team” logo.
