EuroLeague MVP Mike James has criticized Juan Toscano-Anderson’s remarks about European basketball, highlighting a recent controversy.
Toscano-Anderson’s fiery speech during the FIBA Intercontinental Cup final drew significant attention.
The G League United forward shouted to his teammates, “Every single one of n*gga we all are better than this sh*t! Our dream is not to play f*cking ACB, our dream is not to play f*cking EuroLeague! Our dream is to play in the National Basketball Association, n*gga, to make millions and hundreds of millions dollars.”
James responded sharply to Toscano-Anderson’s pre-game comment about the G League being the second-best league in the world.
“Not even close lol. He has a low percentage to think this,” James tweeted, dismissing Toscano-Anderson’s assessment.
James also took issue with Toscano-Anderson’s speech, noting, “Just because your dream is to play in the NBA doesn’t mean you’re better than players in EuroLeague or ACB. Getting cooked by a non-EuroLeague team after talking like that is hilarious.”
The Monaco star’s response reflects his frustration with Toscano-Anderson’s remarks and perceived disrespect towards European leagues.
Olympiacos newcomer Evan Fournier, on the other hand, defended Toscano-Anderson’s speech, suggesting it was a motivational attempt rather than a slight against European basketball.
“Maybe I missed something but am I the only one that don’t see anything wrong here? Dude is getting his ass kicked and tryna motivate his team,” Fournier tweeted.
James, however, remained unconvinced, adding, “If it was just this then naw he didn’t say anything wrong but he said something before the game too which makes it seem like he’s talking down on European league basketball so now it’s a problem.”
Unicaja ultimately defeated G League United 75-60 in the final, with Toscano-Anderson playing a team-high 30 minutes, scoring 7 points, and grabbing 4 rebounds.
