Spain beat Greece on Tuesday in Group A of the men's basketball tournament at the Paris Olympics. Spain blew a 16-point lead in the second half, but were able to hold on to win thanks to some clutch shooting by 39-year old Rudy Fernandez. Unfortunately, Spain lost the Olympic veteran in the fourth quarter when he was inadvertently kicked in the head by teammate Juancho Hernangomez.
Fernandez, who hit two huge 3-pointers in the fourth, fell down trying to defend Greece's Vassilis Toliopoulos and got kicked in the head under the basket by Hernangomez as he went up to contest the shot. There's obviously the initial concern about a concussion, but he also looked like he was dealing with a neck injury. Fernandez remained on the ground writhing in pain and had to be helped to the bench.
Tremendo Rudy Fernández de un lado y Toliopoulos del otro.
— Javier Luchansky (@Javiluch4) July 30, 2024
En esta acción se golpeó fuerte Rudy que sale de la cancha en el momento donde era la mejor respuesta de España
España 71-69 a 5'20" pic.twitter.com/BvIdbrQEQL
As he sat down on the bench he nearly fell over and had to be held up. After being examined for a few minutes, he was again helped up to walk to the locker room by multiple trainers.
Spain legend Rudy Fernandez being helped to the locker room by medical staff after taking an inadvertent kick to the back of the head during group stage game vs. Greece. pic.twitter.com/Wse4eLiQuN
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 30, 2024
Fernandez scored 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting off the bench for Spain in his sixth Olympic games. He was the team's fourth leading scorer today as they won their first game of the 2024 games. Spain is scheduled to play Canada on Thursday. Fernandez's status should be up in the air.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rudy Fernandez Helped to the Locker Room After Getting Kicked in the Head by Teammate.
