In view of the turmoil of war in the Ukraine, basketball star Jakob Pöltl is also observing increased insecurity among people in the USA. “There is already a bit of nervousness among the people that the whole thing could escalate even more,” said Austria’s legionnaire in the NBA professional league on Tuesday of the APA. The conflict has also been discussed several times among his teammates at the San Antonio Spurs.
“No one knows how far this is really going to go. It’s all a big question mark,” said Pöltl. His sympathy goes to the people of Ukraine. “It’s a shame and sad for the people who are being put in a situation they can’t help. They are faced with the choice of leaving their own country or fighting against Russia.” This situation makes him sad. “It was so far from my imagination that a country like Russia would just invade Ukraine.”
The 26-year-old Viennese emphasized that he was fundamentally against war. Nevertheless, he hopes for the greatest possible support for Ukraine from other European countries and the USA. “But I don’t know whether you’ll go to war, I can’t answer that.” Alex Len from the Sacramento Kings and Svi Mykhailyuk from the Toronto Raptors are two current NBA pros from Ukraine. According to Pöltl, he has no personal connections to the Eastern European country.
