Watanabe collided with an opponent in the second quarter and collapsed on the court. Even though he successfully got up, he had to leave the game and did not return. Japan's head coach said it was not a serious injury and the player is expected to be back in 5-7 days.
A friendly game in the SoftBank CUP 2023 Tokyo Tournament between Japan and Angola featured an episode that scared the local basketball fans.
Even though Japan won the contest 75-65, the team lost its leader Yuta Watanabe.
With 3 minutes and 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the Phoenix Suns forward collided with an opponent and collapsed on the court. Watanabe got up when the play ended but had to go to the locker room and did not finish the game.
Before getting injured, Watanabe played for 11 minutes, recording 4 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Japan seems to have avoided the worst. "He didn't go to the hospital. He sprains himself often. I knew the condition wasn't bad," head coach Tom Horvath told the media after the game.
"I can't play him against France [on August 17th]. It will be about 5 days to a week [until his return]," the coach said. "If his condition improves, I'd like to use him against Slovenia, but I don't know."
Japan will play two more friendly games in the mini-tournament against France on August 17th and Slovenia on August 19th.
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