Speaking publicly for the first time since punching teammate Nikola Mirotic and being suspended for eight games by the Bulls, Bobby Portis apologized again for his actions and was hopeful that he and Mirotic could move forward.
“I’m wrong for what I did,’’ Portis said before the home opener Saturday against the Spurs. “I want to publicly apologize to Niko. I feel like I let my fans, the Bulls organization and most importantly my teammates down. This is not who Bobby Portis is.’’
Portis, entering his third season after being selected in the first round (22nd overall) in the 2015 draft, said he hoped he could coexist with Mirotic but admitted he hasn’t received a response to his texts and calls to Mirotic.
The team hopes to have the two sit down and talk it out once Mirotic recovers from the concussion and two broken bones in his face suffered in the altercation.
“Going forward, I want to make sure that me and Niko are cool and that we can be teammates again,’’ Portis said. “I’m pretty sure we can. We just have to repair this relationship.’’
Portis said he wasn’t concerned about Mirotic possibly taking legal action “at this point.’’
“I’m just trying to publicly apologize to Niko and my teammates, and that I’m real sincere about the situation.’’