Alba Berlin have sealed a shock 94-93 victory over NBA champions San Antonio Spurs, whose point guard Danny Green had to apologise for an Holocaust remark posted on Twitter.
Alba became the first German team to beat an NBA side at Berlin’s O2 Arena on Wednesday with Jamel McLean scoring the hosts’ winning points right on the final buzzer to seal a dramatic win.
But the match was played against a backdrop of controversy after Spurs’ Green posted a selfie on social media network Twitter taken at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial with the caption: “You know I had to do it one time lol #Holocaust”.
He later removed the picture and posted an apology.
“Yes, mistakes do happen. I want to sincerely apologize for the insensitivity of my post!
“I have great respect n (sic) understanding for this country’s history n (sic) wanted to continue chronicling my experience in Berlin.
“But showed poor judgement…sorry once again.”
Green later played in the one-off exhibition match between reigning German champions Alba and NBA champions Spurs on the Americans’ pre-season tour of Europe.
McLean was the star of the show as the American sealed the hosts’ shock win with the last throw of the game.
“That was a throw without pressure, I just did it,” beamed the match winner who scored 18 points for Berlin with pop star Lady Gaga amongst the 14,500 fans watching in Germany’s capital.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said the hosts deserved their win against the five-time NBA champions who included stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker on their roster.
“Berlin were simply better,” he said before his team travelled to Turkey to play Fenerbahce Istanbul on Saturday.
“They fought hard and finished things well, their coach did a good job.
“You can see that there are good teams all over the world.”
It could be a while before an NBA side visits Germany’s capital again with no future plans for a return trip.
“At the moment there are no concrete plans,” said the NBA’s new commissioner Adam Silver.
“We will look at the market and consider where it makes sense to hold future games.”
The NBA will come to Europe again in January when London hosts a match between the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks.