We present a message from the people of Utena:
Every time they step onto the court, players give their all – their strength, emotions, health, and heart. They train daily, sacrifice for the team, city, and fans, and fight on the court for a common goal, regardless of nationality, skin color, religion, or origin. Basketball has always been a sport that unites people, creating respect and community.
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Opponents may be rivals on the court, but beyond it, we are all people deserving of respect. Emotions, tension, and battles for victories can never justify humiliating, discriminatory, or racist remarks. There is no and cannot be a place for such behavior in sports or society.
The Utena “Juventus” club strongly condemns the racist remarks made by the opposing team’s tall player Martynas Pacevičius after the game in the corridor towards our team player Maxwell Lewis.
The club has officially addressed the Lithuanian Basketball League in writing, requesting an investigation and a thorough clarification of all circumstances of this incident.
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We believe that respect, equality, and humanity are values we must all defend together. There is no place for racism in basketball. Never.
Accused of racism, M. Pacevičius soon responded on Instagram.
“It is very unfortunate that click-based journalism still prevails in Lithuania, but I did not think that basketball news portals would promote it as well. Publicly slandering my name without the slightest comment from me about the situation is at least low. Everyone who knows me knows that I am absolutely against any forms of racism,” the basketball player wrote.
“Neptūnas” won the third game of the series and narrowed the series score to 1-2 in the best-of-five series.
