Borisa Simanic, power forward playing for Zaragoza, will not be available to Svetislav Pesic for the remainder of the FIBA World Cup.
Borisa suffered a strong blow during the match against South Sudan, which forced him to leave the game immediately.
The Basketball Association of Serbia released a statement regarding Simanic’s situation.
“In the post area duel for Serbia, towards the end of yesterday’s match, Simanic received a strong hit to the kidney area. The referees’ assessment, even after reviewing the replay, is that there was no intention during the hit, but due to the pain, Simanic couldn’t continue the match.”
“Immediately after leaving the game, Borisa Simanic was taken to the emergency department of a hospital in Manila, where he was initially held for examination. During the night, under the supervision of the doctor of the Serbian national team, Prof. Dr. Dragan Radovanovic, he underwent surgery. Borisa is feeling well, his kidney and all functions are preserved, but after the operation, he has concluded his participation in the World Cup. The Basketball Association of Serbia, all national team members, and coaching staff wish Borisa Simanic a speedy and successful recovery!”
📢 Zdravstveni izveštaj: Boriša Simanić završio takmičenje na Svetskom prvenstvu nakon sinoćne operacije ⛑️ pic.twitter.com/CBHF1beWpy
— Košarkaški savez SRB (@KSSrbije) August 31, 2023
At the moment of the duel between Nuni Omot and Borisa Simanic, the score was 106:80, and there was less than two minutes left until the end of the match.
Simanic is 25 years old, standing at 211 centimeters tall, and he has been a member of the senior national team of Serbia for years, primarily in qualification “windows” for major competitions. It’s important to note that Simanić has always made himself available to the Serbian national team, regardless of the quality of the opponent and the stage of the competition. In the World Cup in Manila, he found himself in the final composition of the national team for a major tournament for the first time in his career.
He was also a member of younger representative selections and won a silver medal at the European Championship for players under 16 in Ukraine in 2013.
He began his professional career in 2014 with Crvena zvezda, and he also played for FMP and Mega before joining Zaragoza in the summer of 2022.