Serbia managed to cruise past Lithuania by a final score of 87-68 to book their spot in the semi-final of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. They were notably without Borisa Simanic, though, after he had to get a kidney removed thanks to an injury he suffered in their bout against South Sudan. According to Bogdan Bogdanovic, Simanic didn't want the team to focus on him ahead of their crucial contest.
Bogdanovic, who has been having a huge tournament for Serbia, was leading the way again against Lithuania (21 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 9/13 FGM), and will continue to play a big role for his home country as the end of the tournament comes into sight. It's clear that Simanic's injury was weighing on the team's mind, though, which led to Bogdanovic revealing Simanic's inspiring message to the team after their big win.
“He united us…this is for him as well.”
Bogdan Bogdanovic on how Borisa Simanic, who lost a kidney after catching an elbow in previous game, inspired the team for their Quarterfinal match against Lithuania 🗣️pic.twitter.com/Ja2wMbtVGV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 5, 2023
Simanic took an elbow to the abdomen from Nuni Omot of South Sudan in Serbia's 115-83 victory, and it was clear pretty quickly that something was wrong with Simanic. It turned out that he had to get a kidney removed due to complications from the initial surgery, which was a shocking update to the Serbs that they surely weren't expecting.
Such a strange, and potentially severe injury, left Serbia a bit rattled, and it's clear that they had their teammate on their mind. But Simanic let his teammates know that he was doing just fine, and wanted them to focus on beating Lithuania. And with Bogdan Bogdanovic leading the way once again, Serbia is just two wins away from coming out on top in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
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