ATHENS, Greece, Aug 20, (AP): Serbia basketball player Nenad Krstic, a center with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, was released Friday after being held in police custody overnight following a remarkable brawl during a match with Greece.
The last game of the Acropolis tournament was abandoned with 2:40 to go and Greece leading by one point when the fight broke out.
The incident occurred just a week before the basketball world championship in Turkey, where both teams will play.
A stunned crowd of about 5,000 at the Athens Olympic Arena watched players from both teams exchange punches and kicks. Two or three spectators entered the fray but were quickly shoved out of the arena.
Krstic grabbed Greece forward Antonis Fotsis by the throat and threw a chair toward Sofoklis Schortsanitis, who was pursuing him. The chair hit Yannis Bouroussis, who had not played in the game because of a hand injury, and left him with blood trickling from a wound on the side of his head.
The fight began when Fotsis had moved threateningly against Serbia guard Milos Teodosic, who had fouled him.

The players continued fighting in the tunnel leading from the arena to the locker rooms before eventually being separated.
Prosecutor Costas Simitzoglou released Krstic pending an investigation into the brawl. Investigators from Greece’s sports violence squad will examine video footage of the game and take statements from witnesses before deciding whether to bring charges.
The International Basketball Federation announced in a statement on Friday it will conduct its own review into the violence.
“FIBA will take whatever steps are necessary against any individual player found to have been involved in this shocking incident,” said FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann. “FIBA wishes to make it clear that it will not hesitate from taking the strongest possible action against any individual found to have brought the sport of basketball into disrepute.”

Krstic returned to his hotel after being released and was due to leave Athens for Belgrade later on Friday.
He told Serbian media he hoped to avoid possible FIBA sanctions, and accused the Greeks of starting the fight.
“I don’t know the rules, but I hope I won’t be punished,” he said. “An (act of) stupidity was committed, and I hope they will not punish us. The Greeks started the brawl, there were no guards and the (Greek) fans entered the court ... If they punish me, they must do it to others as well.”
The rest of the Serbia team returned home earlier on Friday, and coach Dusan Ivkovic said upon arrival at Belgrade airport that the brawl “is a shame for everyone.”

Greece’s deputy culture and tourism minister, whose portfolio includes sports, condemned the “regrettable incidents.”
Giorgos Nikitiadis said Greek authorities would not tolerate sports violence, “especially from those who, although they wear their national symbols, are not aware that they represent their country — not themselves.”
Both Serbia and Greece are scheduled to play in the basketball world championship that begins in Turkey on Aug 28, although they are in separate groups for the preliminary round.
Serbia plays in Group A with Angola, Argentina, Australia, Germany and Jordan while Greece, the runner-up at the last worlds in 2006, is in Group C with China, the Ivory Coast, Puerto Rico, Russia and Turkey. Group B features Slovenia, Brazil, Croatia, Iran, Tunisia and the United States, and Group D contains Canada, France, Lebanon, Lithuania, New Zealand and defending champion Spain.