"It was shocking and just really sad": Moneke opens up about racist abuse in the Eternal Derby

Of course, it was a crazy game. Everyone knows it’s more than just basketball. You just feel a completely different vibe inside the arena. I almost got hit by phone chargers a couple of times. And I actually experienced my first-ever racist incident, which was quite shocking.

One guy in particular—I'm not saying it was a lot of people, just this one specific guy. It happened right before the start of the fourth quarter. He was really worked up and started directing monkey chants at me. It was shocking and honestly just very sad. A very sad person. That was the first time I actually looked at someone while they were doing that. He knew what he was doing, and the people around him saw it too. But that's the world we live in, isn't it?

Yeah, I sprained my ankle—I stepped on a photographer's foot. He was sitting on the baseline, and it happened right before the game started, so it completely ruined the match for me. I heard he was Greek, but who cares? The game didn't go the way I wanted, neither for me nor for the team. We still haven't beaten them. That's the story of this f***ing derby right now, unfortunately. But everything happens for a reason. When good things happen, we don't question them. When tough moments come, we shouldn't question them either. It's part of a bigger plan. So, I just embrace it.