- Borisa Simanic got elbowed by Nuni Omot in the closing stages of Serbia’s game against South Sudan
- Simanic was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery
- Complications after it, however, led to one of Simanic’s kidneys being removed
Serbia have reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but forward Borisa Simanic’s tournament is over. Simanic underwent kidney removal surgery on Sunday and is now set for a spell on the sidelines.
Simanic suffered the injury when he got elbowed by South Sudan’s Nuni Omot during their game on Wednesday. The Serbian immediately went down in pain and was taken to the hospital.
The Serbian Basketball Federation stated that the 25-year-old had surgery on Wednesday night, but developed some complications after it. That led to doctors deciding he needed kidney removal surgery.
The team’s official doctor Dragan Radovanovic released a statement on Monday where he elaborated on the situation.
“Due to complications on the injured kidney that occurred in the postoperative course, Borisa Simanic was operated on again on September 3,” Radovanovic said. Due to changes in the vitality of the kidney tissue, the entire kidney had to be surgically removed. We expect and wish that after this operation, the post-operative course will go smoothly.”
It appears that there were issues finding his blood type as well, and it’s a shame that things have turned out like this.
Serbia comfortably beat South Sudan 115-83 in that game and then in honor of Simanic, his teammates placed his No. 28 jersey on an empty seat on their bench for the games against Italy and the Dominican Republic.
Nuni Omot Spoke About The Incident
If there is one thing players absolutely hate, it’s causing an injury. After the game, Omot was asked about the incident and was very apologetic.
“I heard that he ended up going to the hospital,” Omot said. “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.
“I’m not a dirty player, I’ve never been a dirty player,” Omot continued. “From the bottom of my heart, I sincerely apologize to everyone that’s watching and to the player especially.”
When you look at the incident, it’s hard to say whether he meant to hit Simanic or not. The two were battling it out down low when Omot struck Simanic in the mid-section.
It didn’t look like a vicious hit by any means, though, and it’s just unfortunate that it ended by causing such harm to Simanic.
Serbia Have Played Well Despite Nikola Jokic’s Absence
Serbia suffered a significant blow before the tournament even began. Nikola Jokic announced he won’t be playing for Serbia at the FIBA World Cup, as he wanted to rest after winning the NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.
One might have thought the Serbians might struggle without Jokic, but they have played well so far, with Bogdan Bogdanovic leading the way. The Hawks guard has led a balanced Serbian attack by averaging 18.4 points per game.
Serbia won all three games in the First Round and only narrowly lost to Italy in the first game of the Second Round. They then beat the Dominican Republic to book their place in the quarterfinals against Lithuania, who just beat Team USA.
The Lithuanians have a perfect 5-0 record here and will present a stern challenge.
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