Louisville's Chinanu Onuaku posts apology after spitting at former Kentucky basketball player

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former Louisville basketball player Chinanu Onuaku issued an apology on social media Tuesday afternoon, a day after his involvement in an incident with former Kentucky Wildcats in a game in Freedom Hall.

The UK-affiliated La Familia defeated The Ville in the quarterfinals of The Basketball Tournament — a 64-team, single-elimination event better known as TBT — and the matchup of former college rivals was marred by a postgame brawl involving several players.

La Familia team member Nate Sestina, who played for the Wildcats during the 2019-20 season, told reporters afterward that Onuaku, who played for U of L from 2014 to 2016, had spit in his face. Video from the court confirmed Sestina’s claim.

“I want to apologize for my actions following last night’s game,” Onuaku posted on his X account. “I let my emotions and pride for my university overcome me in the moment. I love my UofL and I love this town. L’s up.”

Sestina was among several La Familia players and officials that flashed the “Ls down” hand signal — a gesture used to mock U of L — immediately after clinching the victory. Sestina said Onuaku objected to the gesture on Louisville’s former home court.

Onuaku, who was not available for interviews Monday night, also posted on X after the loss.

“I asked him not to do something that disrespects the university I went (to) and he calls me a b---- but he doesn’t want to talk about that part,” he said. “It’s crazy how one side of a story is always heard.”

The former Louisville star didn’t specifically reference the spitting incident in any of his posts.

La Familia head coach Tyler Ulis — a former UK point guard — was in the immediate vicinity of the incident Monday night. He also posted on his X account Tuesday afternoon, in response to Onuaku’s postgame name-calling claims.

“How many did you call him throughout the game?” Ulis said. “You knew what you was doing, picked the guy who causes no problems. It’s just basketball, tough guys don’t spit on people and then play victim.”

Ulis added a crying face emoji to his post, then thanked the UK and U of L fans who came to the event, which had an official attendance of 13,506, by far the most in the 11-year history of TBT.

“Emotions ran high. That’s what this game does to people,” Sestina said Monday night. “It had been great chatter the whole game. Nothing crazy. Nothing personal. And then it got personal. Obviously, Ls down versus Ls up, that’s what this game is. He was just like, ‘Don’t do Ls down in here.’ I was just like, ‘All right. Ls down, always.’ And then he walked away, and then stepped at me. My back was turned. And then he spit in my face.”

Video of the incident showed the two players shaking hands, and then Onuaku turning around to confront Sestina after they had parted ways. The Ville player then spit toward Sestina’s face as they were being pulled apart, and the fracas spread across the court, resulting in a standoff between Onuaku and others associated with The Ville on one side, La Familia players and officials on the other, and uniformed security officers attempting to restore order in between.

After The Ville players were off the court, La Familia resumed its celebration.

The team of former Kentucky players advanced to the TBT semifinals, which will be played at 9 p.m. Friday in Philadelphia and shown live on FS1. The championship game is set for 2 p.m. Sunday on Fox, and the winning team will split a $1 million prize.