Team Croatia has faced an uphill battle before the 2024 Olympics. Veteran NBA players and Croatia national basketball team members Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric played against Greece in a qualifying game on Sunday. Croatia lost, but an incident after the game is making headlines.
Ivica Zubac and Dario Saric were reportedly involved in an intense physical altercation at a nightclub near Athens early Monday morning, per TMZ Sports. A video shows Zubac in a scrap with someone as several other men rush up to him to break up the fight.
Meanwhile, Saric ran into the crowd to try to help Zubac. But he ended up on the receiving end of a chokehold by another unidentified man.
Eventually, security members gained control of the altercation and got both players out of the area. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.
Zubac and Saric came off an 80-69 qualifying tournament loss to the Greece national basketball team, which ended Team Croatia's hopes of making the 2024 Olympics. Zubac scored 19 points in the matchup, while Saric contributed 14.
Both frontcourt players are coming off impressive stints with their NBA teams. Ivica Zubac helped the Los Angeles Clippers go 51-31 during the 2023-24 season, which placed them fourth in the Eastern Conference standings.
The 7-foot center averaged a career-high 11.7 points, along with 9.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Zubac's teammate since 2019, Paul George, left the Clippers during the NBA Free Agency period. Zubac looks to carry more of a load in 2024-25.
On the other hand, Dario Saric is coming off a one-year stint with the Golden State Warriors with averages of 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and a 37.6 percent 3-point shooting clip. Saric is fresh off signing a two-year free agency deal with the Denver Nuggets.
Ivica Zubac, Dario Saric prepare for 2024-25 season
Zubac and Saric's Team Croatia squad may be eliminated from the Olympics. Yet, their loss is a blessing in disguise. Both players can focus on preparing for the 2024-25 season with their respective teams.
As mentioned, Zubac's Clippers are trying to fill the void in Paul George's absence. The star forward left Los Angeles to join Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Zubac gave George great respect amid his teammates' summer departure.
“That’s a great friend,” Zubac told George Efkarpides of Amerikanos24 in early July. “We played together for five seasons. It’s definitely tough seeing him leave. He was a big piece. It’s gonna be hard to replicate for us.
“He did so much, but there’s a business side [to basketball]. Unfortunately, that was the best decision for him. We’re gonna miss him a lot, but we signed some new guys. We got to work with what we have already, and I’m sure we’re gonna have a great season.”
The Clippers are losing a big piece but still look to remain competitive with the talent they retain.
On the other side of the Western Conference, Dario Saric joins a highly touted Nuggets team. Saric will play with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and try to help Denver win their second franchise championship.
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