Nicolas Batum has apologised to the San Antonio Spurs for making a late three-point shot in a 115-105 victory for the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.
Rather than hold the ball in the closing seconds of the game, which is the usual trend in the NBA, Batum chose to make a jump shot to earn him figures of 11 points, 11 assists and 12 rebounds.
"That is maybe the worst thing I've done in my career," Batum told reporters. "It went in — I was like, 'Oh, no'. I didn't mean to disrespect this team.
"This is the San Antonio Spurs, the best team from the last 15 years in the NBA. I've never disrespected this team. I love this team. I have a lot of friends on this team.
"I want to apologise to the Spurs organization because that didn't show good [respect] for the game, for myself, for the Blazers. I don't really want to disrespect this team."
Batum plays alongside Spurs duo Tony Parker and Boris Diaw for the French national team.
Callum Mulvihill
