Players from La Familia (Kentucky) and The Ville (Louisville) had to be separated following Monday night's game at The Basketball Tournament after The Ville center Chinanu Onuaku spat in the face of La Familia's Nate Sestina.
Onuaku took exception with Sestina using the "L's down" celebration to mock the Louisville alums after La Familia earned a 70-61 victory.
"Emotions ran high," said Sestina, per Myron Medcalf of ESPN. "That's what this game does to people. It had been great chatter the whole game, nothing crazy, nothing personal. And then it got personal, obviously. That's what this game is."
Sestina did not seem bothered by the incident, reiterating his "L's down" quote to Medcalf. The former Kentucky forward currently plays for Valencia of the Spanish Liga ACB.
Willie Cauley-Stein, the former NBA center who said he joined La Familia in hopes of playing against The Ville due to the rivalry between the two schools, called Onuaku a "f--king bum."
Onuaku, who has not commented on the incident, was a second-round pick by the Houston Rockets in 2016, but played in just six NBA games. He currently plays for Santeros de Aguada of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional in Puerto Rico.
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