he is no longer a Zenit Saint Petersburg basketball player – this is official information, and at the same time the end of the several-week-long saga related to the game of the captain of the Polish national team in the Russian club.
“From the beginning of the war I was determined to terminate the contract”
Ponitka terminated the contract last week, he is already in Poland, and on Monday for the first time – and it seems he is the only one – spoke on his case. “From the beginning of the war, I was determined to terminate the contract,” he said at the conference.
The former Zenit player referred, inter alia, to to the ubiquitous criticism for – the last – appearance for the Russian team. For taking part in the meeting in Moscow with CSKA as part of the VTB games, Ponitce was hit by fans, journalists, and also Marcin Gortat.
“Mateusz has always been an individualist. He always walked his paths. He made a decision that would be expected of him … He only thought of himself. There is no greater shock or surprise for me here – Gortat wrote on Twitter. – Where’s the character? Human emotions, he asked.
During the Monday conference it was clear that the criticism from the former NBA player was at least weakened. The captain of the Polish national team devoted the former NBA basketball player at least a few minutes to meeting journalists.
– I heard that I lack character. I played 126 matches for the Polish national team. I wanted to ask Mr. Gortat – where was his character during Eurobasket 2013, when [jako kapitan kadry] forbade us to talk to Polish journalists? Or during the 2011 championship, when his NBA insurance was more important than playing for the national team? Asked Ponitka.
And with each passing moment he was getting sharper in the comments. – I personally participated in NBA training. I know what the research and scouting process looks like. Now, after so many years in the NBA, I am not surprised that Marcin Gortat has the nickname he has, which is Polish Hammer.
The unspeakable conflict between the current and former captain of the staff has been going on for years. On Monday, both Mateusz Ponitka and the president of the Polish Basketball Association, Radosław Piesiewicz, spoke of Gortat as “Mr. Marcin Gortat”.
Ponitki’s tyrada about Gortat lasted a few minutes. President Piesiewicz also added: – I’m sorry. Marcin Gortat handed down the verdict very quickly, and I was hoping that he would call him to help Mateusz somehow.
Ponitka admitted that although he does not have social media himself, he still felt a wave of hate on himself. The basketball player also admitted that the threats were received by members of his family. – You can [hejterzy – red.] pour out what you like on me. But the moment my family receives threats, it is too much. I am a Pole, I was at every call for the representation. We forgot about it.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
