Jonas Jerebko played in the NBA between 2009 and 2019. The 35-year-old is no longer active in the best basketball league in the world. Now, in times of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the power forward has joined the club CSKA Moscow, which has caused severe criticism in his native Sweden. The national basketball association SBBF has now reacted.
During his NBA career, Jonas Jerebko played for the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors. In the meantime, the career of the veteran is coming to an end, but Jerebko is not yet thinking about retirement.
After the former NBA second-round pick played for the Russian club BK Khimki from 2019 to 2021, Jerebko has not been engaged in recent months.
On Wednesday, of all places, CSKA Moscow, the former army sports club, signed the Swede. The fact that Jerebko moved to Russia during the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine met with fierce resistance in his homeland.
“Kungsbacka Posten” reports that the Swedish club Onsala Pirates will not name a planned basketball court after the ex-NBA star, contrary to original plans. In addition, the beverage producer “Nocco” is said to have suspended its sponsorship with Jerebko.
The basketball player also has to listen to clear criticism in the Swedish press. The journalist Anders Lindblad asked in the “Svenska Dagbladet” how one can be “so hard of hearing” in the face of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Max Wiman even went a step further on ‘Sydsvenskan’ and called for Jerebko’s permanent ban from the Sweden national team.
Jerebko excluded from national team
The SBBF association has now responded to the criticism and announced on Thursday that Jerebko has been excluded from his country’s national basketball team until further notice.
SBBF General Secretary Fredrik Joulamo pointed out in a personal conversation how the move to Russia, given the invasion of Ukraine, is in direct contradiction to the values of Swedish basketball and its attitude towards Russia.
“After this dialogue, we unfortunately had to realize that there are no requirements for Jonas Jerebko to represent a Swedish national basketball team,” the association said.
Voigtmann leaves CSKA Moscow
Unlike Jerebko, the German basketball player Johannes Voigtmann decided against a commitment to CSKA Moscow after the beginning of the war and left the club from Russia.
In the current situation “I can’t agree with myself to hold competitions for a Russian team, where in the end it’s about winners and losers. Even if it’s just about basketball, it contains symbolism that I don’t think is appropriate at the moment “, the 29-year-old explained to the “kicker”.
As a consequence of the war, CSKA Moscow, like all other Russian teams, was taken out of the EuroLeague season.
