Skip to content

Dante Exum sustains knee injury during international friendly with Australia

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports / reuters

Utah Jazz point guard Dante Exum suffered a left knee injury on Tuesday during the first leg of Australia's two-part friendly against Slovenia, the Jazz confirmed.

The 20-year-old Exum drove hard into the lane for a jump-stop in the first half, but came up lame with what appeared to be a non-contact injury.

The incident can be seen below.

Damir R.'s post on Vine

Exum did not come out of the locker room at halftime, according to multiple reports. After being treated on site in Ljubljana, Exum will now return to Salt Lake City to be evaluated by Jazz doctors.

No specifics have been provided with regard the type of knee injury or an estimated recovery timeline.

The Jazz selected Exum fifth overall in the 2014 NBA draft. He managed to play in all 82 games last season, and while he posted lackluster numbers, he improved significantly as the season went on. Most importantly, Exum showed flashes of elite athleticism and excellent defensive ability.

Ironically, Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey recently expressed his concern about NBA players participating in international competition during the offseason.

As for Australia, losing Exum would be a significant blow to their chances of securing a 2016 Olympic berth in the upcoming Oceania Championship against bitter rivals New Zealand. The two-game tournament will be played between Aug. 15 and 18.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox