After suffering an injury during a FIBA World Cup game against South Sudan, forward Borisa Simanic lost one of his kidneys, according to an announcement Monday from the Serbian Basketball Federation.
The team said that Simanic has been operated on twice in Manila. After the first surgery, additional complications came into play, according to team doctor Dragan Radovanovic via the Associated Press. Due to those complications, a second procedure Sunday required Simanic’s kidney to be removed.
Serbia plays in a World Cup quarterfinal game Tuesday against Lithuania.
“It was really tough for us when we heard what happened,” Serbia forward Nikola Milutinov said to reporters Monday after a team practice. “First, we didn’t believe it was such a bad thing. It’s really affected us. We’re really praying for him that he’s going to be good as soon as possible.”
With just two minutes to go in Serbia‘s Wednesday victory over South Sudan, Simanic suffered an injury after opponent Nuni Omot elbowed him while trying to score a basket. Simanic was in clear pain, yelling before falling to his knees.
🏥 Borisa Simanic 🇷🇸 a subi une ablation du rein ! Touché face au Soudan du Sud 🇸🇸 (115-83).#FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/abvzHhVLJs
— QuotidienSport (@Quotidien_Sport) September 4, 2023
Omot stated that he wasn’t trying to injure Simanic, while Milutinov said it has deeply shaken the Serbian squad.
“We didn’t sleep after that game. We were trying to find blood for him, because he was losing a lot of blood,” Milutinov said. “It was really a tough moment for everybody. I hope this will never happen to anybody in the world.”
The team is unsure when Siminac will be released from the Manila hospital where he is currently undergoing treatment. (RELATED: Burglars Took $162,000 Worth Of Jewelry From Ciryl Gane’s Home While He Was In Middle Of Main Event UFC Fight: REPORT)
Siminac has seen action in three World Cup games, playing a combined 20 minutes off Serbia‘s bench while scoring three points.