Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Bryan Kalbrosky

Slovenian shockingly injured himself on the tipoff after landing on a ref during the EuroBasket tournament

I don’t care how much basketball you have watched in your lifetime. I doubt you’ve ever seen this happen during a competitive game.

Mike Tobey, a 7-footer from the United States who played college basketball at Virginia, secured his Slovenian passport in 2021 so that he could play for the national team.

Tobey represented the country during the Olympics in Tokyo and he has recently become the preferred pick and roll partner for NBA superstar Luka Doncic. He is one of the starters for Slovenia in the EuroBasket tournament, and he took the tip-off against Germany during group play on Tuesday.

No one was expecting Tobey to lose his balance on the tip-off, but after bumping into the referee on his way down, the starter hobbled off of the court and had to leave the game.

Germany’s Dennis Schroder looked particularly confused by what happened.

You can take another look at the tumble, and his subsequent reaction, here:

Tobey, who had 24 points and 8 rebounds against Lithuania last week, eventually returned to the game.

His presence was necessary to match up against Germany, as the German squad entered the game with an impressive 3-0 record during group play.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.