NBA
NBA players Ivica Zubac, Dario Saric involved in nightclub fight in Greece after Olympic qualifying loss
Two NBA players appeared to be involved in an early-morning altercation in Greece.
Nuggets center Dario Saric and Clippers center Ivica Zubac were captured on video published by TMZ Sports getting into a fight early Monday at Bolivar Beach Bar in Alimos, Greece, a suburb of Athens.
The fight reportedly took place just hours after Croatia lost to Greece in an Olympic qualifying tournament game and occurred at 5:30 a.m., with Zubac mixing it up with another person as the bar’s security attempted to intervene, the outlet reported.
Later in the video, Saric can be seen coming over to get involved to help his national team teammate and later appeared to be put in a headlock by another individual.
The melee eventually settled down, as it appeared that security was able to get control of the situation and the two NBA players were escorted out of the venue.
The origins of the altercation are unknown, and TMZ Sports reported that “it did not appear police were present.”
It had been a tough day for Croatia after having their Olympic dreams come to an end at the hands of Greece, which included NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, in an 80-69 defeat in the tournament finals.
Both Saric and Zubac played in the game, with Zubac putting up 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Saric had a solid effort of his own, with 14 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
The incident comes just two days after Saric signed a two-year, $10.6 million deal Saturday with the Nuggets, ESPN reported.
The deal also includes a player option.
The disappointing result on the court for Croatia means that the country will once again miss out on getting to compete on the sport’s biggest stage when the Olympics begin later this month in Paris.
Croatia has not qualified for the Olympics in basketball since 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.