A pre-Olympic basketball friendly between France and Germany, which also featured a former New York Knicks player, was anything but friendly.
Former Knicks shooter Evan Fournier was at the center of an altercation when the European teams met in Cologne. Late in the second period, Fournier got into a fiery tangle with current Brooklyn Net Dennis Schroder while driving. Schroder then appeared to go for Fournier's neck, but Fournier went for his neck instead, and the teams ended up face-to-face.
The exchange was captured on Instagram by basketball highlights account Statline, and calm was maintained before anything dramatic happened, with Fournier being ejected for his role in extracurricular activities.
Les Bleus bounced back from Fournier's ejection and went even further, as France cruised to a 90-66 victory thanks to a dominant performance from NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama (25 points in just over 19 minutes). Schroder was one of two Germans to score in double figures, leading Germany in the losing effort with 23 points.
Fournier's NBA future is in flux after his tenure in New York was fortunately ended when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons at last season's deadline. The 31-year-old appeared in 29 games after the trade, averaging 7.2 points, but Detroit opted not to exercise his contract option, making Fournier a free agent.
Ahead of Saturday's pre-season match, long-time insider Mark Stein reported that Fournier intends to remain with the Association's side despite interest from multiple European clubs.
Time will tell if the Fournier-Schroder duo will have a lasting impact. France and Germany have been placed in the same group (along with Japan and a yet-to-be-determined team) for the men's basketball competition at the Olympics in Paris. The rematch will be the final game of Group B on Aug. 2.
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