Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic tweeted an apology Wednesday for tearing a Serbian flag Saturday at the EuroBasket tournament.
Mirotic, who is playing for Spain, tore up the flag in frustration when it was held by a fan over the entrance as he and other players left the court following an 80-70 loss to Serbia in the opener for both teams at the European Basketball Championships.
I am deeply sorry about my reaction after the game. I did not realise that it was a flag let alone the serbian one (1/2)
— Nikola Mirotic (@threekola) September 9, 2015I was looking at the floor due to the tension of the game and I felt something on my face. I would never offend any symbols. (2/2)
— Nikola Mirotic (@threekola) September 9, 2015Spain, a two-time champion EuroBasket champion, had a 10-point lead after the first quarter Saturday but couldn't protect the lead and lost to Serbia for the first time in five years.
Mirotic scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss.