Serbian Player Has Kidney Removed After Getting Elbowed in Abdomen During FIBA World Cup Game
Boriša Simanić had surgery over the weekend to remove one of his kidneys after suffering an elbow to his midsection during a game last week
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Boriša SimanićA member of the Serbian national basketball team has lost one of his kidneys after he was injured during a FIBA World Cup game last week, according to multiple reports.
Boriša Simanić, a power forward who previously played on the Utah Jazz 2022 summer league team, had surgery over the weekend to remove one of his kidneys after suffering an elbow to his midsection during the final minutes of the Serbia-South Sudan game last Wednesday, according to ESPN.
In footage from the game, the 25-year-old immediately doubled over in pain after he took the elbow from South Sudan’s Nuni Omot, who was looking to create space on his way to the basket.
Simanić was taken to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery, but complications over the weekend led to the removal of the kidney, according to a statement from Serbian national team doctor Dragan Radovanović, obtained by ESPN.
Omot shared with reporters an apology late last week, and said that he had no intention of hurting Simanić.
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"I heard that he ended up going to the hospital," he said, per CBS Sports. "My apologies, I didn't mean to make no type of a dirty play. I hope you have a speedy recovery. I pray for you, you'll be in my prayers.”
He added, “I'm not a dirty player, I've never been a dirty player. From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize to everyone that's watching and to the player especially."
On Tuesday, Serbia was set to take on a Lithuanian team that beat Team USA on Sunday.
In the last two games that Serbia has played without Simanić, team members have draped his jersey on an empty chair on the bench, per ESPN.
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