Tasmania JackJumpers forward Majok Deng will be sidelined for at least four weeks after breaking his left leg in the club’s opening game of the NBL season.
Scans showed the 33-year-old has a hairline fracture in his fibula, the smaller of the two shin bones, as well as a corked calf muscle.
Deng was hurt when he made contact with South East Melbourne Phoenix player Akech Aliir with around three minutes and 30 seconds left in the third quarter.
He stayed on the court and scored a lay-up around 35 seconds later to tie the game, before coming off almost immediately afterwards.
JackJumpers head of high performance Ryan Carroll said Deng was resting and doing rehabilitation.
“For this kind of injury we would aim for a return in four to six weeks,” he said.
“Time is one thing, but there will be constant assessment and rehabilitation to ensure Majok can return to his high level of performance.”
Deng signed a two-year deal in April that will keep him at the Hobart-based club until 2028.
He has won the JackJumpers’ fan favourite award in each of the past two seasons.
While he recovers, development player Jed Richardson will get extra game time.
The 22-year-old from Brisbane has been impressing the coaches since arriving in Tasmania, the club said.
The JackJumpers host Melbourne United at MyState Bank Arena in Hobart on Thursday at 7:30pm.
