Rockets Sengun Ejected for Insult to Ref, Apologizes

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun was ejected from his team's 114-93 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night after directing a gender-based insult at referee Jenna Reneau. The incident occurred during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center in Houston, when Sengun, frustrated over a non-call on a drive to the basket, repeatedly called Reneau a derogatory term, leading to his immediate removal from the game.

Sengun addressed the outburst publicly on Saturday following the Rockets' 112-106 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Oklahoma City. He described his actions as immature and apologized for losing control in the heat of the moment. "Sometimes, you can't control yourself, but I should have known better," Sengun said. "But I fixed it, and then I went to the locker room and I apologized. I shook her hand and said that would never happen again. It just happened in the heat of the moment and she understood, and it was good by both ends."

According to Sengun, he sought out Reneau right after the Celtics game to offer a personal apology, shaking her hand in the officials' locker room. The exchange quickly gained attention on social media, with enhanced audio clips...