Michigan guard Tre Donaldson will have to defend both his focus and his hygiene after a bizarre moment during Sunday’s Big Ten Championship.
Donaldson made a strange blunder early in the second half when he lost his man on defense because he accidentally spit out his gum mid-play. The Michigan guard could be seen accidentally spitting out his gum while play was active, and he failed to catch it as it fell. Instead of letting it go, Donaldson went over to pick it up, which left an opening for Wisconsin’s John Tonje to make a move to the basket and receive the pass virtually undefended.
Donaldson recovered as best as he could, but his late recovery meant he wound up fouling Tonje — with his gum still in his hand — on the ensuing layup attempt. He did, in fact, put the gum back in his mouth once he was whistled for the foul.
Five-second rule 😆@umichbball's Tre Donaldson definitely subscribes to it. #B1GMBBT on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/R27p2HldgU
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 16, 2025
Perhaps the worst part was this was Donaldson’s third foul, and it came with 15:22 left in the second half. He would up having to sit for the next six minutes to avoid further foul trouble.
Tonje made both free throws, so one could certainly argue that Donaldson cost his team a basket by getting distracted. One could also argue that putting the gum back in his mouth after it landed on a used basketball court isn’t a great move, but Donaldson is clearly a believer in the five-second rule. Perhaps he just did not want to be rude like Pete Carroll arguably was once.
Donaldson might catch a break, since his heroics on Saturday are the only reason the Wolverines were playing in Sunday’s final. Still, he might want to leave the gum and focus on his defensive duties if this ever happens again.
