By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Ten years ago Milos Teodosic made his debut with the senior national team in the 2007 EuroBasket, Spain. He hadn’t missed a single summer tournament since then, leading Serbia to the silver medal in the EuroBasket 2009, second place in the 2014 World Cup plus the silver in the 2016 Olympic Games.
But this time, the captain of the “Orlovi” will be absent from Istanbul and the EuroBasket, following a joint decision by the player, the national team’s medical staff, and the LA Clippers that signed him earlier this summer.
Teodosic, 30, wrote a message on his official Facebook page describing why he won’t be in the EuroBasket and calling the Serbian fans to turn their attention to those present in the tournament, instead of the (many) absentees.
“It was extremely difficult for me to make this decision and pull out of the EuroBasket, after many years spent with the jersey of the Serbian national team. After consulting with a doctor (of the LA Clippers) and the head coach (Sasa Djordjevic), I realized that I wouldn’t be able to help my teammates, although my desire for this is always great. The calf issue is more complicated than I thought. I believed that I would be able to play even though the doctor’s prognosis was different.
At this moment, the most important thing is that we all give our support to the guys who travel to Istanbul and that people only talk about them. Not about us who are hurt. The atmosphere is great, the quality is always there and there is no reason not to give your support, which they will certainly justify.”