An injury Aron Baynes suffered while suiting up for Australia during the Tokyo Olympics could end up costing him the entire 2021-22 NBA season. Baynes got hurt during the Boomers’ group play matchup against Italy and ended up not taking the floor again in the tournament, although the team was optimistic he’d be able to “recover in the coming weeks.”
Baynes, however, did not join his countrymen when they accepted their bronze medals during their win over Slovenia in the third-place game, and according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, that’s because his injury is worse than previously thought. The now-former member of the Toronto Raptors is apparently in the hospital due to nerve damage in his neck, and now, next season is in jeopardy.
Australia’s Aron Baynes was missing from the Boomers’ medal podium in Tokyo. Tough news: Sources say Baynes remains in the hospital with severe nerve damage in his neck, an injury more significant than initially diagnosed, and could miss the entire 2021-22 season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 7, 2021
“I am really disappointed that I can’t continue in the Olympics,” Baynes said in a statement after he got hurt. “I along with the rest of the team have been working so hard in our quest for an historic Olympic medal and I am gutted that I can’t complete the journey with the boys, but I have every confidence that they will get the job done.”
The news comes a few days after the Raptors waived Baynes, who is now an unrestricted free agent.