Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said Tuesday he apologized to Salah Mejri for his "unprofessional" and "uncalled for" reaction to the center after he was ejected Monday night.
Television cameras caught Carlisle yelling "You've got two f---ing points, get the f--- out of here" at Mejri when he approached the bench after receiving his second technical foul in Monday night's 98-75 victory over the Washington Wizards.
After Mejri was ejected, the Wizards' Kelly Oubre Jr. waved goodbye to him, and then he was met by Carlisle's harsh words. Video of the interaction went viral on social media.
"I had a long talk with Salah about what happened and apologized to him for behavior that was really emotional, uncalled for and unprofessional on my part," Carlisle told reporters, according to the Dallas Morning News. "He's one of our best competitors. Things got heated. Conflict sometimes can bring out communication, which is what I'm hoping comes from this. But I want to make sure that he understands and all our fans understand how important he is to our team and how sorry I am about what happened when he was ejected."
Carlisle told reporters he has to learn how to communicate with "The Mej," Mejri's alter ego.
Mejri, who told reporters he appreciated the talk with Carlisle, acknowledged he turns into a different person during games.
"For sure. A lot of people say I'm a nice guy outside. But once the lights are on, I get focused. I get competitive," he said. "If I stop playing with attitude, stop playing angry -- and then I don't play angry, they're like, 'No, please play angry.'
"I'm big, man. I have this beard. I talk aggressive. ... Maybe it's new for the referees and they think I'm fighting with them. But I'm just talking to them. Everybody has the right to talk to the referees, no?"
