The leader of the French basketball team Frank Ntilikina will not participate in the Euro basketball (September 1-18), due to "pain", the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) simply announced on Friday.
“Frank Ntilikina (1.93 m, 24 years old) suffers from pain that does not allow him to be physically at 100%.
He is forced to forfeit, ”wrote the FFBB in its press release.
Ntilikina (22 selections) will therefore not participate in the friendly match scheduled for Friday in Bologna against Italy (8:30 p.m.), the second of the preparation after the victory on Sunday against the Netherlands (89-65).
He will leave the group "Saturday", continued the FFBB.
Packages in shambles
The package of the leader of the Dallas Mavericks is added to those of the interior phenomenon of Boulogne-Levallois Victor Wenbanyama (18), affected in the psoas, and the pivot Moustapha Fall, injured in a knee.
Point guard Andrew Albicy (thigh) was forced out of the rally early in preparation.
The Olympic vice-champions therefore find themselves at 13 players three weeks before the start of the Euro.
Silver medalist at the Tokyo Games and bronze medalist at the 2019 World Cup in China, Frank Ntilikina won in the Blues group thanks to his qualities as a defender.
France, 12th in the last Euro in 2017, will face Germany, Lithuania, Hungary, Bosnia and Slovenia in the group stage of the Euro.
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