A BASKETBALL player was seriously injured during an altercation in a playoff game of the Alpha Kappa Rho 1st Semi-Open Invitational Basketball League 2025 on Friday, according to the Department of Public Safety.
Webb Gontar, who was flown to Guam for further medical evaluation on Saturday morning, has regained full consciousness, Variety learned from other sources on Sunday.
DPS said it responded to a report of an injured person at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation on March 21, 2025 at 7:53 p.m.
“Responding officers discovered that a 38-year-old male sustained serious injuries during a basketball game at the REM Center in Gualo Rai, where a scuffle occurred, and the victim was grabbed and pulled to the floor,” Assistant Chief of Police Simon Manacop said.
Due to the severity of his injuries, the victim required further medical attention.
“DPS cannot confirm if the victim was medically evacuated to an off-island location and also cannot disclose his current condition. The incident is under active investigation by the DPS Criminal Investigation Bureau,” Manacop said.
“No arrests have been made at this time,” he added.
A video of the incident posted on social media shows Gontar being pulled and his head hitting the floor.
On Sunday, the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation said it has no affiliation with the Alpha Kappa Rho 1st Semi-Open Invitational Basketball League 2025, which is not governed by the federation.
NMIBF President James Lee said, “I’ve been getting a lot of messages from people asking if it’s an NMIBF league or the organization and officials that ran the league are under the federation. [They’re] inquiring if the federation will ban the athletes that fought during the incident, or the organization and officials that lack any safety protocols.
“I had also been asked if the federation will assist with the medical expenses. I also read some comments… one had even suggested to sue the organization. So NMIBF just wants to make this clear: We are not affiliated with that organization. The league and the officials were not trained or certified by the federation,” Lee added.
