Spurs' Sochan Talks Confrontation With Lakers' Vanderbilt on Video, 'Polite Exchange'
Jeremy Sochan downplayed the on-court incident he had with Jarred Vanderbilt immediately after the San Antonio Spurs' 107-91 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Sochan called the situation a "polite exchange" that saw Vanderbilt poked him in the face:
"I must've said something to him during the game, and maybe it wasn't very nice. He must have taken it in the wrong way and told me to see him after the game. So, I did. And we just had a polite exchange. I was, I think, intact and very joyful and the other person wasn't. Yeah, he just wasn't emotionally stable in that moment. So, it's something he has to work on. It's just life."
The situation saw Vanderbilt use his finger to poke Sochan in the cheek, prompting Julian Champagnie to shove him. Players and coaches from both teams intervened before things escalated beyond a shouting match.
Vanderbilt didn't speak to reporters following the loss to address what happened. The two players do have a history of antagonizing each other.
They were both ejected from a game last season when Vanderbilt pushed his elbow into Sochan on a drive to the basket and gave him a shove after the officials called a foul. Sochan responded by throwing the ball at Vanderbilt and shoving him back.
Sochan played just 11 minutes against the Lakers as his role in San Antonio has been scaled back significantly this season. The win snapped the Spurs' two-game losing streak and kept them in second place in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers had their three-game winning streak snapped against the Spurs. Vanderbilt, who made his third start of the season, scored four points in 19 minutes.
