Ponitka on Gortat's words: 'Where was he when he had to stand for the team in 2011 or 2013?' / News - Basketnews.com
Mateusz Ponitka, who left Zenit Saint Petersburg last week, returned to Poland and held a special press conference to explain his motives to play another game in Russia.
Mateusz Ponitka
Team:Zenit Saint PetersburgPosition:SFAge:28Height:197 cmWeight:93 kgBirth place:Ostrow, PolandProfileNewsStatistics"I am very happy to be in Poland. I want to thank my wife and agent for their support and help. I would also like to thank Zenit for almost three years together. I am against Russian aggression in Ukraine. War is evil. An independent state must remain independent.
When the war started, I was in Russia. I wanted to return to Poland from the beginning. Though, my contract was for three years. First, I made sure my family left. I tried to terminate the contract. We negotiated, but then there was another match with CSKA Moscow.
I played it and sat down at the negotiating table again and found an agreement to terminate the deal. As soon as the war began, I couldn't leave easily because I had a contract," Ponitka said to the Polish media.
Former NBA player and Polish basketball star Marcin Gortat was particularly critical of Ponitka's return to Zenit.
"Mateusz Ponitka has always been an individualist. He always walked his paths. Sometimes it's good, sometimes – bad. He made the decisions one would expect of him... He only thought of 'himself'. There is no major shock or surprise for me in this situation. Everyone has the right to do so.
It is sad that he is the captain of our team (Polish NT). It seems to me that many people expected a different decision. You have to remember that the captain's armband was given to him by the president. Now he collects double criticism for fulfilling such a role.
All these aspects aside, the question is different. Where is nature? Human emotions? Unity? Support? Let's also wait for his statement, if there hasn't been one yet," Gortat wrote on his Twitter account.
For his part, Mateusz Ponitka had a response to these critical words by his countryman.
"After his (Marcin Gortat's) post, my family received many threats. He is Polish, I am too. I think Marcin forgot that. Gortat talked about my lack of character. I have played 126 matches for the Polish national team. Where was Marcin's character when he had to stand for the team in 2011 or 2013?" the forward asked ironically.
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