Serbia, Greece Brawl in Pre-Worlds 'Friendly' in Athens (with video)

[Renew Deal]

Nary a summer goes by without two national basketball teams smacking the snot out of each other during a FIBA game. Last summer, we were fed two notable melees, Italy vs. Canada and the inordinately violent Mexico vs. Uruguay. With the 2010 FIBA World Championship right around the corner, regional rivals Serbia and Greece gave us the first major brawl of the international season.

Meeting in Athens for a warm-up tournament, Serb/Thunder center Nenad Krstic grabbed Greek center Antonis Fotsis by the throat as Fotsis exchanged heated words with Serb guard Milos Teodosic after a hard foul. Fists began to fly, men were tackled, violence erupted.

As things escalated, a retreating but yapping Krstic threw a chair toward a chasing Sofo Schortsanitis, who had earlier exchanged blows with Krstic in close quarters. The chair missed Sofo (also known as Greek Shaq), and hit Greece's other imposing big man, Ioannis Bourossis, recovering from injury and wearing street clothes, in the head, producing blood.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ste4A1v5W-o&

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/08/19/serbia-greece-brawl-in-pre-worlds-friendly-in-athens