Clippers Star Reacts Strongly to Luka Doncic Controversy That Caused Dennis Schroder-Like Incident

The Slovenia–France matchup at EuroBasket 2025 ended in controversy when Luka Doncic extended a hand for sportsmanship, only for French guard Sylvain Francisco to take the ball to the rim for an uncontested layup. The moment, which came with Slovenia already resigned to defeat, immediately stirred debate over respect and unwritten rules in basketball.

What followed, however, went far beyond the court. Francisco became the target of racist insults on social media, drawing condemnation from across the basketball community. Los Angeles Clippers veteran Nicolas Batum was among the first to speak out, firmly defending Francisco and calling out the toxic responses.

“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…,” Batum wrote, referencing the recent racial abuse directed at Germany’s captain earlier in the tournament.

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 pic.twitter.com/VRNc4UxnyA

— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) August 30, 2025

The French Basketball Federation also issued a statement backing Francisco, describing the comments as “intolerable” and against the values of the sport. Francisco himself responded, making clear that while criticism of the play was fair, racist abuse crossed every line of decency.

The incident has amplified calls for stricter measures against racism in EuroBasket arenas and online platforms alike.

The post Clippers Star Reacts Strongly to Luka Doncic Controversy That Caused Dennis Schroder-Like Incident appeared first on EssentiallySports.