Early in July, a FIBA qualifying match between Australia and Philippines was marred by an ugly brawl late in the third quarter. Australia was already leading by 31 points, when things got out of hand. A player on Australia named Daniel Kickert delivered a sharp elbow to one of the Filipino players in retaliation for a hard foul, prompting players on both teams to get involved. It didn't take long for the benches to clear, as an all-out brawl started near the baseline.
A HUGE brawl broke out between the Philippines and Australia teams in a FIBA World Cup qualifier. pic.twitter.com/4jWWZAhVHb
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 2, 2018
There were flying kicks, chair shots and plenty of punches. In the end, 13 players were ejected, and the Philippines eventually forfeited the match due to only have three remaining players on the court. Now, a few weeks after the incident, FIBA has come down with their ruling.
Most notably, Milwaukee Bucks center Thon Maker -- he was the Australian player using the flying knees and/or kicks -- has been suspended for three FIBA games. Two other Australians were suspended, including a five-game ban for Kickert, who sparked the fight. Additionally, 10 different Filipino players were suspended for a total of 35 games, while two of their coaches were also suspended.
Furthermore the referees for the game have been suspended for an entire year, and the basketball federations from both countries have been fined six-figure amounts.
