A 23-year-old professional basketball player in Australia is on the mend after sustaining a shocking practice injury.
Ben Griscti, a center for the Adelaide 36ers, suffered a fractured vertebrae in his neck when a backboard collapsed on top of him during the team’s shootaround at AIS Arena in Canberra last Saturday.
As a result, the 6-foot-11 Griscti will miss the beginning of the NBL26 Season, his team confirmed in a press release Monday.
“Ben was injured when a backboard collapsed on top of him during the team’s shoot around at the AIS Arena, ahead of the side’s final NBL Blitz game,” the press release said.
“Scans have since confirmed the 23-year-old has suffered a fractured vertebrae but he won’t require surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Griscti vows to ‘be back soon’
The good news for Griscti is he was able to return home to Adelaide, where he’s currently recovering. As for when the former Incarnate Word and UC Riverside big man will return to the court, a timeline has not been decided yet.
Still, Griscti indicated in a message shared on the official NBL Instagram page that he doesn’t intend to be out for too long.
“Thank you for the messages of support and concern. I’ll be back soon,” Griscti said.
Local emergency services under scrutiny after incident
According to the Australian Broadcasting Company, Griscti had to wait more than 90 minutes for an ambulance after the accident occurred, even though the closest hospital was five minutes away.
Despite the delay, ACT Ambulance Service chief officer David Dutton said proper protocols were followed.
“”There were a number of other emergencies in the territory at the time of that call,” Dutton told ABC.
“As soon as we were able to dispatch a paramedic crew to that patient they attended, and they transported that patient in a stable condition through to the emergency department.”
