"Some of y’all are SICK": Nicolas Batum calls out alleged hate comments from fans over controversial Luka Doncic-Sylvain Francisco incident

France v Slovenia Men
"Some of y’all are SICK": Nicolas Batum calls out hate comments from fans over controversial Luka Doncic incident

Nicolas Batum has retired from his national team, but he has remained an active supporter of France during the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament. On Sunday, he aired his frustration with fans following a controversial incident involving Luka Doncic and Sylvain Francisco in Slovenia's loss to France.

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Francisco drove for a layup after shaking hands with Doncic, which led to an altercation between him and the Slovenian players.

In an X post, Batum called out fans for allegedly making racist comments toward Francisco.

"Some of y’all are SICK even if you disagree with a BASKETBALL play, racism and hate are NEVER ACCEPTABLE at all. After Dennis Schroder earlier, now this… Major props to Sylvain, great game brother. Keep shining and making us proud🫡🇫🇷," Batum wrote.
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According to FIBA rules, the points difference plays a significant role in the standings, particularly in the group phase, prompting teams to continue playing even after the result is decided.

Francisco finished the game with 32 points to lead France to a 103-95 win. Meanwhile, Doncic had 39 points in the losing effort.

Earlier in the tournament, Germany's Dennis Schroder said he had received racist remarks from fans during a game against Lithuania.

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"Making monkey noises, that's something I don't respect," Schroder said. "No matter what status, insults, that's all fine. But racism simply doesn't belong in this sport. That's something that's not OK."

Luka Doncic reacts to Sylvain Francisco's controversial play

In the NBA, it is uncommon for players to score after shaking hands with their opponent. So when Sylvain Francisco scored a layup in the waning seconds after he dabbed up Luka Doncic, the LA Lakers superstar was surprised.

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“At the end, we shook hands. Point difference can be important in the end, but the game was already decided. However, I didn’t expect him to finish like that,” Doncic said.

Francisco said he had since apologized to Doncic for the play.

"I said I was sorry," Francisco said. "I actually went to shake hands and go to the layup like I said to Luka. The only thing that I really regret is just shaking hands — I should have told him, 'Nah, play defense,' because I was going for a tie."

France and Slovenia will now have to put the issue behind them as they look to advance to the next round of the tournament.

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Edited by Rob Andrew Lo
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