Gallinari apologizes for fight in Italy-Netherlands game

Danilo Gallinari made his presence known Sunday in Team Italy's so-called friendly against the Netherlands, but after a dust-up with Dutch center Jito Kok resulted in an injured thumb and put his national team in a sticky situation, the 28-year-old lamented his inability to keep his composure.

The Los Angeles Clippers' forward, speaking with La Gazzetta dello Sport after the incident, had the following to say (via Sportando):

I am very sorry for so many reasons. First because I am not part anymore of the Italian national team and for the way I left it. Italian national team is like a second family to me and I feel really bad. I reacted after being elbowed. My reaction must be condemned but I got an elbow and we’ll never know if it was on purpose or not. The problem is that the elbows were flying high for a while during the game and when we were shooting they put their feet under us with the risk of getting hurt. In a short way, they were not playing clean. The game looked more as a fight. With this, I am not seeking an alibi, my reaction is inexcusable. I apologize to my teammates, to the whole national team and also to Kok. I lost my control, never happened before and never have to happen again.

Gallinari's thumb injury shouldn't affect his first training camp with the Clippers, but the Aug. 31 - Sept. 17 EuroBasket tournament is no longer in the cards.