It's an incident so ugly that it's made headlines around the world.
Sydney's big-name recruit, NBA veteran Josh Childress, is facing the prospect of a lengthy suspension after striking Perth opponent Jesse Wagstaff with a sickening forearm in Saturday night's NBL loss to bogey team Perth.
Childress and teammate Ben Madgen were both ejected as the Kings lost their 15th straight game to the Wildcats in front of 12,469 spectators at Perth Arena.
The biggest talking point was Childress' stray elbow, just moments after Wagstaff put on a physical but legal screen.
The American forward appeared to connect with a forearm as Wagstaff was taking a jump shot late in the third quarter. Footage of the incident, in a game televised on Network Ten, has gone viral.
The USA Today website ran with the headline: "Josh Childress delivers the hardest basketball foul we've seen on helpless opponent".
The author, Mike Foss, described the attack as "vigilante justice" and said "maybe next time his retaliation can be a little more subtle and a little less Mortal Kombat."
American sports website Bleacher Report also quickly posted footage of what it described as "a nasty elbow to the face".
Other global news outlets have also picked up on the story. Told of the adverse exposure, Kings coach Damian Cotter said on Saturday: "I didn't know that. Some bad things happen on the court, I'll need to take a closer look at it. But that's a pretty big statement."
Cotter was reluctant to comment on the incident but hoped NBL officials would consider the fact he was provoked in the lead up.
"In the context of the game, Josh got pretty frustrated and, if he had his time again, would do it differently," he said.
Wow. Josh Childress got his monies worth there.
#nbl15
#nblpervsyd
https://t.co/vlvTlZfb2r — Ryan Mobilia (@RyanMobilia)
October 24, 2014
"We're going to wait, the club will make a decision after the League comes back to us. Everything should be taken in the context of the game, that's how it should be looked at."
Childress appeared to get himself into further trouble after the game when he vented his displeasure on social media. The 31-year-old - who has played with NBA franchises Atlanta, Phoenix, Brooklyn and New Orleans - tweeted: "@NBL it was very clear who runs the league and the officials tonight. Maybe the best officiated game I've ever been a part of."
@NBL it was very clear who runs the league and the officials tonight. Maybe the best officiated game I've ever been a part of. — Josh Childress (@JChillin)
October 24, 2014
Asked about the prospect of being without Childress for upcoming away clashes with Cairns and Wollongong, Cotter said: "We'll deal with that as it comes along. Nobody told me coaching in the NBL would be easy and I've got the experiences to validate that.
"We'll just deal with it and not worry about what we don't have."
Cotter, in his first season as head coach after taking over from former Boomer Shane Heal, was more expansive when quizzed about Madgen's ejection.
"For a guy to be thrown out of the game for two techs on flopping, I understood there would be a warning on it," he said.
"Other players were warned. I don't understand that, I'm sure it's being reviewed."
Tim Hudson, Sydney's head of basketball operations, said Childress' actions were out of character.
"I'm sure once Josh responds, Sydney, the League and Australia will have a further opportunity to see the class of this man."
