Trolls tweet, stars compete

Adelaide 36ers guard Dejan Vasiljevic has spoken out against online trolls, in an interview with CODE Sports.

The two-time NBL champion, recognised as one of the league’s premier scorers and shooters, revealed he frequently receives abusive comments online, including remarks about his weight.

“I read comments sometimes, and people say, ‘you’re too fat to play or you’ve got no neck,” Vasiljevic said.

“As a younger self, I did read a lot of comments, but at the end of the day, I’ll give you a pair of basketball shoes and you can come and do my job.”

Vasiljevic says a fan being arrested for racially abusing teammate Montrezl Harrell had set a precedent for similar instances of online abuse. 

“The Trezz situation and that guy potentially getting five years jail – I think that needs to be the standard,” he said.

“I think the trolling has gone out of hand.

“There needs to be a way for the government to step in and actually do something about it."

Vasiljevic and his Sixers play Panathinaikos BC this Sunday at 7pm in the Pavlos Giannakopoulos Tournament at Qudos Bank Arena, before opening their NBL26 campaign on Sunday, September 28, against the Brisbane Bullets at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Read the full story here >> Crosscourt: ‘People don’t see me as an NBL star’, says Sixers sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic