Humphries on backboard: ‘It just broke’

A dunk by Humphries shattered the backboard and caused glass to fall on the court. Several Hawks players finished the job of clearing the broken glass by throwing basketballs at the out-of-commission goal.

The Hawks said they will pay for the broken goal and any other damage caused by the incident. It could prove costly. According to an internet search, it can cost several thousand dollars to replace and pay for the installation of a backboard. In addition, there was likely damage to the court surface from falling glass.

Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said there was an element of humor to the situation and that much of the needed work had been accomplished by the time of the incident.

“It’s hard to practice basketball without a basket,” Budenholzer said. “… It gave us a good laugh. We had a good film session. We had done a few things in practice that we thought were important. It was, maybe, a good thing.”