Basketball fans witnessed a rare occurrence on Sunday: a punch being thrown during a Summer League game.
The Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks were playing in Las Vegas when tempers flared in the fourth quarter. Mavs forward Eugene Omoruyi gave Chimezie Metu a hard foul as the Kings center went airborne for a shot. Metu went crashing to the floor, got up, and threw a punch at Omoruyi. Check out the video:
Chimezie Metu lost it and threw a punch to Eugene Omoruyi. They were both ejected. It’s #SummerLeague, but still…
Chimezie Metu di Sacramento perde la testa e tira un pugno a Eugene Omoruyi di Dallas. È Summer League, ma… pic.twitter.com/9Sr9nV088W
— Davide Chinellato (@dchinellato) August 15, 2021
Both players were ejected for the incident, Omoruyi for a Flagrant 2 foul and Metu for throwing the punch. The Kings ended up winning the game 86-70.
While there is obviously no excuse for Metu’s reaction, it is worth noting that the 24-year-old was involved in a very similar incident last season. Memphis Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas tossed Metu to the ground after a dunk, which led to Metu missing time with a fractured wrist.
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