Iain Potter, Mika Vukona and Andrej Lemanis. Photos / Photosport and Getty
Iain Potter, Mika Vukona and Andrej Lemanis. Photos / Photosport and Getty
A feud has erupted between the Brisbane Bullets and Basketball New Zealand after allegations a top Kiwi player was threatened with sanctions and left at risk of a potentially career-ending injury.
Bullets head coach Andrej Lemanis was emotional when he fronted media yesterday following his side's loss to the Perth Wildcats in the Australian National Basketball League playoffs.
Holding back tears, Lemanis took a shot at Basketball NZ for allegedly forcing Bullets playmaker and former Breaker Mika Vukona to play for the Tall Blacks during the recent World Cup qualifying window - against medical advice.
Lemanis said the Tall Blacks ignored advice to rest Vukona due to an Achilles injury - a claim Basketball NZ chief executive Iain Potter vehemently denies.
Vukona was forced to sit out the Bullets' 84-79 loss at Brisbane Entertainment Centre - a decision Lemanis said was devastating for the 36-year-old and his team.
"I was really disappointed for him … for him to not be a part of that was killing him," Lemanis said.
Brisbane coach Andrej Lemanis. Photo / Getty
"[Vukona's] got a partial tear in his Achilles, he didn't want me to tell anybody and he was prepared to risk his career and play and hope that it didn't snap. That's what it meant for him and I wasn't prepared to let him do that, it's too big a sacrifice.
"We wanted to rest him during the FIBA window, he wanted to rest during the FIBA window, we knew it was bad for him to go play. Basketball New Zealand refused to let that happen and threatened him with a sanction which I thought was quite poor for everything that he's given to that organisation.
"This is the result, he pays a price, we pay a price, the fans pay a price - it's unfortunate."
However, speaking with Radio Sport, Potter denied the allegations that the national body had threatened Vukona to play, slamming Lemanis' accusations as a story from "fantasy land".
"It's a nice bit of theatre from Andrej," Potter said. "[It's] really disappointing that he's decided to go with that ... his emotions have got the better of him after a loss.
Iain Potter Chief Executive of Basketball NZ. Photo / Photosport
"Andrej is fully aware that a country can call on players and if they don't make themselves available then there is a possibility of sanctions, he's fully aware of that and he's just strung those things together.
"We put player health and safety front and centre ... we would never be putting [Vukona] in a situation where he would be putting himself at risk.
Potter said it was essential for Basketball NZ to call on Vukona and other top players to assist New Zealand in improving their seeding for the World Cup, but noted that had the Bullets management notified them of Vukona's injury, the organisation would likely have allowed him to stay in Brisbane.
"I don't know where he's made up this stuff," Potter said. "We never threatened sanctions, they could've withheld Mika on medical grounds and we would've simply gone through a process to evaluate the medical reasons. We would never put Mika in jeopardy.
Mika Vukona in action during the FIBA World Cup Qualifier match. Photo / Getty
"We said that if they're fit and they are available then we want them and what we did with Mika and Reuben [Te Rangi] and Alex [Pledger] is we said 'look it's really essential we win one game in this window, we need to have a good team ... what we'll do is we'll take them away for the first game and we'll send them back'.
"We did that out of respect to those three players to let them get back early, let them get back fresh and have them in the best possible condition they could be for their clubs."
Potter said he hoped Vukona would be fit and healthy for both the World Cup and to join his New Zealand NBL side the Nelson Giants next month.
