By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Mirza Teletovic is currently having his sixth season in the NBA as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. But it could’ve been otherwise if not for a potentially life-saving intervention of former Brooklyn Nets head trainer Timmy Walsh back in January 2015.
How much “otherwise”? Well, Teletovic could have died if Walsh didn’t stop him from boarding a plane following a game vs the Clippers in Los Angeles.
The Bosnian forward had experienced severe breathing problems during the match which became less intense when he was transferred to the hospital afterward. A doctor cleared him to fly with the rest of the team but Walsh’s instinct didn’t agree. He felt something’s wrong.
Walsh insisted for Teletovic to undergo a CT scan and the examination revealed multiple blood clots in the player’s lungs. If Teletovic flew, he could’ve suffered a possibly fatal pulmonary embolism. Instead, he took the necessary medication and began recovering.
Per New York Daily News:
Call it a trainer’s intuition — built on over three decades of experience.
“I saw what I saw,” Walsh said. “I’m not taking him on a plane.”
What Walsh witnessed earlier that night was Mirza Teletovic, a forward with Brooklyn, struggling to breathe during a game and pleading for help. By the time they reached the hospital, Teletovic had calmed and the symptoms subsided.
But Walsh wasn’t satisfied with the non-diagnosis.
“My gut told me he’s not OK,” Walsh said. “I know the ER doctor is saying he’s OK, but something’s not right. So I said, ‘If they don’t want to do a CT, I’m going somewhere else to get one.'”
Walsh’s persistence resulted in that CT scan, which uncovered multiple blood clots in Teletovic’s lungs. Under those conditions, a plane ride to the next game could’ve hastened a pulmonary embolism. Instead, Teletovic was administered blood thinners, the clots dissolved, and he’s currently enjoying his sixth season in the NBA.
“He could have gotten on the plane and he could have actually died,” former Nets coach Lionel Hollins said.