Photo by Phil Ellsworth / ESPN Images(CHICAGO) — Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic says he has accepted an apology from teammate Bobby Portis after a preseason incident left Mirotic with facial fractures and a concussion.
Mirotic has not played for the Bulls since the October 17 fight during practice. After a practice on Wednesday, Mirotic said simply, “we are teammates. We are on the same team. Obviously we are fighting for this team. We both are going to do what we need to do to make it work.”
The Montenegrin forward said he didn’t want to address events from the past.
“I’m comfortable being with the team,” he said. “I had a lot of support from my teammates, from everybody.”
It’s not clear when Mirotic will return to game action. But Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg says his player is “excited to get back out there on the floor,” calling that “the final hurdle…getting him back on the court, in uniform, in a game setting.”
“He’s a part of the team,” Mirotic said of Portis. “I’m going to support him too. Obviously, I’m going to give him [fist bumps], like he would give me [fist bumps] too.”
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