A freak knee injury to Andrew Bogut early in the third quarter of today’s NBA Finals could prevent the big man from playing at the Rio Olympics in August.
Bogut landed awkwardly while trying to block a Tristan Thompson shot, hyper-extending his knee, and causing him to spend the following plays on the floor writhing in pain.
The Australian was helped to the locker room by training staff and has yet to re-emerge court-side.
A recent NBA TV update said that the Golden State Warriors staff have ruled him out for the remainder of the game, which is still in play. He has been diagnosed with a left knee sprain and an MRI scan is scheduled to determine severity of the injury.
Although mild knee injuries can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to heal, if the injury is as severe as it appears it will likely rule him out of the remainder of the NBA Finals and the Olympic tournament.
The selection camp for the Australian National Team begins on the 5th of July. The Olympics follow exactly a month later, August 5.
Bogut’s availability for the Rio Olympics was already in question due to concerns about the Zika virus.
Jarrad Hurley's professional basketball aspirations led him to the dizzying heights of the Adelaide social league circuit. After an epiphany that his hoop dreams would go unrealised, he put the ball down and picked up a pen. Jarrad lives vicariously through the successes of Australian basketball, is a mad 36ers fanatic, and might just cry if the Boomers ever medal.