Thirteen Players Ejected After Aussie Boomers Get in On-Court Basketball Brawl

The game was called when the Philippines had only one player left on the court.

Australia’s national basketball team, the Boomers, got in an on-court brawl with Gilas Pilipinas during a FIBA World Cup qualifier, resulting in the early abandonment of the match.

Thirteen players wound up ejected from the game, which was taking place in Bulacan, north of Manila.

According to ESPN, the Boomers held the lead near the end of the third quarter, with 79 to 48, when Philippines guard Roger Ray Pogoy knocked Australia’s Chris Goulding to the floor.

Goulding’s teammate Daniel Kickert retaliated with an elbow, sparking a massive skirmish on the court that not only included players and officials from both sides, but also fans who flooded the court from the stands. One Aussie may have been hit by a chair. The NBA’s Thon Maker, playing for the Boomers, was even seen attempting a flying kick after a punch was thrown to the back of his head.

It took 30 minutes—and more than a dozen ejections—for order to be restored, with the Philippines eventually only able to field three eligible players, following nine expulsions. The Boomers lost four but were still able to put five players back on the court.

Later, two of the three remaining Gilas players were fouled out, forcing officials to call the game 89 – 53 in favour of Australia.

In a statement, FIBA said both nations will face "disciplinary proceedings".

The Chief Executive of Basketball Australia, Anthony Moore, shared the following on NBL.com.au:

"Basketball Australia deeply regrets the incident in tonight’s match between the Boomers and the Philippines in Manila. 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."

The Aussies will have to clean up their act before they face off against Team USA in 2019. A lot of fans will be disappointed if the game is called before it comes to a proper end.

Header Image: Paramount Pictures & iStock.com/Joopie82