Radonjic on Zvezda's decision not to show support for Ukraine: 'It's not a question for me' / News - Basketnews.com

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It was a little bit more than a basketball game in Kaunas, despite that Paulius Jankunas played his last game in the EuroLeague.

Player of the Game EFF 26 Lukas Lekavičius Points 17 Accuracy 5-11 Rebounds 2 Assists 7

Zalgiris Kaunas saluted its legend with an overtime win 103-98 over Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade. However, after the game finished, Zvezda's head coach Dejan Radonjic stuck to the basketball side of the evening.

"They played first half very solid in defense," Radonjic said in his post-game comment. "Third quarter was the total opposite from first half, we had a good opportunity to win, but we didn't foul in the last seconds before overtime. They made a 3-pointer, and we had overtime. They controlled the situation better."

Jankunas had his last career game in the EuroLeague and was a game-changer for Zalgiris.

The legendary forward finished the game with 13 points (1/4 2PT, 2/3 3PT, 5/6 FT), 7 rebounds, and 17 PIR. He scored 4 points in the overtime, including a 3-pointer.

"He played a really good game," Radonjic said on Jankunas performance. "He can play. With our problems with injuries, we tried to find solutions, but in the end, he was really good. He also made some shots under the basket."

However, the game at Zalgirio arena was not just about basketball. Many political messages were sent with the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Just before the game, Crvena Zvezda's players declined to show support for Ukraine by holding a banner with "Stop the War" message. Zalgiris fans booed Zvezda players for such a decision.

All the boos were followed by some aggressive chants toward Zvezda players and Serbia.

Radonjic himself didn't want to touch on this topic in much detail.

"I really hope that peace will come soon. That's it," the head coach said about the ongoing war in Ukraine.

And how about Zalgiris fans' reaction to his players for not holding the banner?

"It's not a question for me," Radonjic concluded.

However, Zalgiris head coach Jure Zdovc had his own opinion on the matter, suggesting that everything might be a little bit deeper.

"It's not for me to comment. It's still sports. Everybody has their own opinion. However, I believe it's not their (coaches or players) personal opinion. It comes from the top on what needs to be done.

I want to say that these provocations helped us in the first half, but in the second half, they got extra motivated," Zdovc said.

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