Anadolu Efes Istanbul head coach Pablo Laso expressed concern over Mike James’ injury following his team’s 77-72 defeat to Crvena Zvezda in Thursday’s EuroLeague Round 3 matchup in Belgrade.
The veteran guard suffered a non-contact injury to his lower right leg with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter, when Efes was trailing 53-51. James suddenly went down while attempting to pursue a loose ball and was eventually carried off the court on a stretcher.
Speaking after the contest, Laso acknowledged that the situation appeared concerning but emphasized that further medical examinations would be necessary before determining the extent of the injury.
“Okay, I’ll be quick with the information. For sure, I’m just the coach, not a doctor, so I cannot say much,” Laso said after the game. “It doesn’t look good, but we trust our medical staff. We will do more tests when we get back to Istanbul tomorrow.”
Efes is scheduled to return to Istanbul on Friday, where James will undergo additional testing to establish a clearer diagnosis and determine the next steps in his recovery.
Beyond the medical concerns, Laso admitted that losing one of his most important players in such circumstances had an immediate effect on the rest of the team.
“For sure, it was a bad moment for the team,” Laso said. “When you see a player leaving the court the way he did, it affects you.
Despite the incident, Efes remained competitive against Crvena Zvezda and continued fighting for the victory until the closing stages.
“But I think we showed character to stay in the game,” Laso continued. “It wasn’t enough to win, but like I said, it all came down to the last shot. So, for sure, there were good things and bad things. But the worst thing for me is that we lost a game in which I think we were close enough to win.”
