Clippers Star Reacts Strongly to Luka Doncic Controversy That Caused Dennis Schroder-Like Incident

EuroBasket 2025 was already delivering drama on the court before one moment set the internet ablaze. Tensions were high in Katowice, Poland, when Slovenia and France squared off in what many expected to be a showcase of Luka Doncic’s brilliance. The Dallas Mavericks superstar didn’t disappoint. 39 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, but the final seconds of the matchup ended in a way no one saw coming.

It wasn’t the box score that made headlines. It wasn’t even Slovenia’s frustrating 103-95 loss, dropping them to 0–2 in Group D. What the world was talking about hours later was a single play that shifted the focus from basketball to sportsmanship, and eventually to something even bigger.

And that’s where Nicolas Batum stepped in.

The scene unfolded with seconds left. France had the game locked up, leading 101-92. Players from both sides began drifting toward each other, some already exchanging handshakes, the universal signal that the battle was over. Luka Doncic himself walked toward French guard Sylvain Francisco with his hand out.

But instead of reciprocating, Francisco picked up the ball and drove for an uncontested layup. The move stunned Doncic, shocked the crowd inside Spodek Arena, and instantly triggered outrage from the Slovenian bench. A scuffle broke out as emotions boiled over. What should have been a routine close to a hard-fought contest instead exploded into one of the most talked-about controversies of EuroBasket 2025.

The unwritten rule of basketball, don’t score when the game is already over, seemed broken in real time.

Reactions came quickly. While some fans saw Francisco’s layup as poor sportsmanship, others pointed out EuroBasket’s point-differential rules, where every bucket can matter in group standings. Francisco himself later admitted regret, saying he wished he had made his intentions clear: “The only thing that I really regret is just shaking hands, I should have told him, ‘Nah, play defense,’ because I was going for a tie.”

But the bigger storm came off the court.

Instead of stopping at basketball debate, the aftermath turned ugly. Francisco was bombarded with racist insults online, being called the N-word, compared to a monkey, and even subjected to slave-related slurs. The French Basketball Federation (FFBB) quickly issued a statement condemning these attacks as “intolerable” and against the values of basketball.

That’s when Nicolas Batum, the veteran Los Angeles Clippers forward, made his voice heard. He jumped onto social media to defend Francisco and slam the racist responses, writing: “Some of y’all are SICK even if you disagree with a BASKETBALL play, racism and hate are NEVER ACCEPTABLE at all. After Dennis Schroder earlier, now this… Major props to Sylvain, great game brother. Keep shining and making us proud.”

Batum’s words connected this controversy to a wider issue, reminding fans that this wasn’t the first racial abuse incident of the tournament.

Just one day earlier, Germany’s captain and Sacramento Kings guard Dennis Schroder had endured racial abuse in Finland en-route his 26-point display. As he walked to the locker room during Germany’s win over Lithuania, Schroder reported hearing “monkey noises” from fans. Security ejected two spectators, with one banned from the rest of EuroBasket 2025.

Schroder himself later summed it up bluntly: “Insults, that’s fine. But racism simply doesn’t belong in this sport. That’s something that’s not OK.”

Batum’s comments made it clear, Francisco’s ordeal wasn’t isolated. It was part of a troubling trend still haunting European basketball in 2025. That too on a day when his 32-points, seven rebounds and two steals should have been the sole highlight of the day.

Luka Doncic in the Eye of the Storm

Through all this, Luka Doncic’s name remained front and center. He wasn’t the one who drove to the rim or made the controversial choice, but he was the player directly involved in the handshake moment. Fans replayed the footage over and over, his stunned reaction circulating widely on social media.

For Slovenia, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Already sitting at 0–2 after dropping games to Poland and France, Doncic has been carrying an undermanned squad, averaging nearly 37 points across two games. Yet instead of the focus being on his near triple-double against France, the spotlight shifted toward the controversy.

This is what made the incident so powerful: one single play following a skipped handshake turned sour, overshadowed everything else.

Unfortunately, this isn’t new territory for European basketball. From Kevin Punter and Pierre Jackson in the EuroLeague to countless incidents in domestic leagues, racism in arenas has been a recurring theme. While campaigns like “Equal Game” exist, enforcement has often been inconsistent, with sanctions limited to fines or partial stadium closures.

That’s why the events of EuroBasket 2025 feel different. Both the FFBB and FIBA have moved quickly to call out racism, while stars like Batum are using their platforms to amplify the message. The conversation isn’t just about Luka Doncic, Sylvain Francisco, or Dennis Schroder anymore; it’s about whether European basketball can finally enforce zero tolerance in a meaningful way.

It’s worth noting that Francisco’s play, while controversial, wasn’t technically against the rules. EuroBasket’s point-differential system means every basket counts toward possible tiebreakers. Evan Fournier once did something similar for France at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, though without the handshake element that made this case so charged.

So the question splits fans down the middle: was Francisco simply playing within the rules, or did he cross a line by going for points after Luka Doncic had extended his hand?

From Luka Doncic’s stunned handshake moment to Nicolas Batum’s fiery defense of Sylvain Francisco, this controversy has expanded beyond one game. It has forced a wider conversation about sportsmanship, point-differential rules, and most urgently, the ugly shadow of racism still present in basketball arenas.

As Slovenia fights to keep its EuroBasket 2025 hopes alive and France pushes forward at 2–0, the debate continues to rage: was Francisco’s layup a necessary play or a breach of basketball’s code?

What do you think, should players always honor sportsmanship in moments like these, or does the competitive nature of international basketball justify Francisco’s decision?