By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The national anthem of Israel was booed by the majority of the fans at Katowice’s Spodek Arena due to the war in Gaza, before a game against Poland on Saturday, and once more before a game against Slovenia on Thursday.
In the Gameday 5 contest, Slovenia and Israel wrap up a round-robin schedule. Both countries will be traveling to Riga and, therefore, compete in the knockout stage of EuroBasket 2025. The top 16 teams switch from pool play to single-elimination contests, starting Saturday until September 14.
The latest boos against the national anthems of Israel lacked Slovenia superstar Luka Doncic on the court. The 26-year-old combo guard of the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA was in the locker room and returned to the floor following the completion of the pregame procedure.
“Because I had to do something on the toilet. If you’re also interested about that, then I don’t know. I wouldn’t miss an anthem, but I had to go urgently. I couldn’t wait until halftime,” he explained after the game.
Back in Gameday 3 of the preliminary round, with Israel facing the hosts of the six-team group, the disapproval of the national anthem spread across a packed venue.
After a Gameday 5 loss, Israel fell to 3-2 and settled fourth in Group D with a win, while Slovenia jumped to 3-2 and earned the third seed. The outcome also set France first and Poland second. In contrast, Belgium and Iceland were already forced to the bottom two seeds, meaning their EuroBasket journey will not extend to the Latvian capital.
Photo Credit: FIBA