Nathan Sobey has been involved in a wild brawl while representing Australia against the Philippines in a World Cup 2019 Asian qualifier.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The extraordinary scenes left long-time commentators and veterans of the game gobsmacked and horrified, with Basketball Australia saying it was sorry for its players role in the debacle and promising an explanation on Tuesday.
The wild brawl broke out as the Boomers were cruising towards a commanding win over the hosts, leading 79-48 with just four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
At one point, Sobey was “assaulted”, outnumbered and attacked by a mass of Filipino players, according to the Fox Sports commentators.
Watch footage of the brawl here.
Originally from Warrnambool and a former Ballarat St Patrick’s College student, the 27-year-old Sobey played with the Miners in the South East Australian Basketball League oin 2014.
He then moved to Cairns Tapains in the NBL and now plays with Adelaide 36ers.
Basketball's international governing body has since opened disciplinary hearings against both sides descended into chaos with 13 players ejected for brawling during the match.
The Boomers defeated the Philippines 89-53 to finish top of their qualifying group in Bulacan on Monday night, but the match result was overshadowed by the ugly brawl .
You can see the aftermath of Sobey getting attacked here.
"FIBA will now open disciplinary proceedings against both teams. The decisions will be communicated in the coming days," FIBA tweeted on Monday.
Australia had held a comfortable 79-48 lead when a pair of rough fouls, one from Philippines player Roger Pogoy on Chris Goulding, followed by a retaliation from teammate Daniel Kickert, saw the game erupt into madness.
Players from both teams engaged in an all-in brawl while officials charged onto the court to try and restore order.
The situation intensified as unruly fans invaded the court to hurl objects at the players, sparking major safety concerns.
Play was suspended for over 30 minutes while match officials attempted to review the incident.
A total of 13 players were ejected - nine from the Philippines along with Australia's Goulding, Kickert, Thon Maker and Sobey.
The Philippines were left with only three eligible players but the match continued until two of their players deliberately fouled out to end the contest.
Scheduled post-match press conferences for both teams were cancelled in the aftermath of the incident.
Basketball Australia's Chief Executive Anthony Moore issued a statement following the match to apologise for the Boomers' involvement in the violent incident.
"Basketball Australia deeply regrets the incident in tonight's match between the Boomers and the Philippines in Manila," Moore said.
"We are extremely disappointed with what happened and our role in it.
"This is not the spirit in which sport should be played and certainly not in the spirit in which we aim to play basketball.
"We apologise to our fans and will await the penalties to be handed down."
- with Australian Associated Press
