Serbia forward Borisa Simanic underwent emergency surgery to remove one of his kidneys on Sunday due to complications from an initial operation on the same organ which sustained an injury during their FIBA Basketball World Cup first round match against South Sudan.
In a Facebook statement Monday, the Serbian basketball federation said that Simanic had to go under the knife once again at the Makati Medical Hospital and is hoping for a fast recovery.
“Due to the appearance of complications on the injured kidney that occurred during the post-operative course, Borisa Simanić underwent surgery again on 3 September. Due to changes in the vitality of kidney tissue, he had to remove his entire kidney by surgical procedure,” Serbian national team physician Dr. Dragan Radovanovic said.
“We expect and wish that after this surgical procedure, the post-operative flow will run smoothly.”
Simanic had an initial operation last 30 August following Serbia’s 115-83 crushing of South Sudan in the group stage at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The 25-year-old Serbian was hit by a wayward elbow while defending South Sudanese forward Nuni Omot with less than two minutes left in the game.
Omot grabbed an offensive rebound underneath the basket and took a fake with Simanic putting a body on him before pivoting to his left and hitting the Serbian’s stomach with his elbow before sinking a short stab.
Simanic screamed and was writhing in pain as he was helped back to the bench and was rushed to the hospital after the game.
The Philippine Red Cross even helped the Serbian, who has a rare blood type, with his blood transfusion during his initial procedure.
