“I let my nerves be the best I could,” Bridges told reporters at a news conference after the 132-103 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
“This was definitely the wrong thing to do by throwing my tongue out.”
He said he was targeting an Atlanta Hawks fan, adding, “I was targeting the guy who was screaming at me… he hit a little girl.”
“This is definitely unacceptable on my part, and I take full responsibility. I am prepared for any consequences that the NBA may cause me.
“That’s on me. It’s out of my character. You’ve been right next to me, and you know I never act that way or never light up like this. So that was definitely wrong, a lot of feelings.”
“I hope I can contact the girl and sincerely apologize to her.”
painful defeat
The Hornets striker picked up two technical errors and was eventually sent off in the fourth quarter after protesting vigorously over a call to goal.
As Bridges was walking off the field toward the locker room, a Hawks fan appeared yelling at him and the player responded by throwing a mouthguard, which reportedly fell on a young spectator.
By the end of the match, Hunter had scored 22 points, while Danilo Galinari and Clint Capella had finished with 18 points and 15 points, respectively. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter also made major contributions to the Hawks’ victory, with both scoring 13 points.