Report Claims Thunder's Aleksej Pokusevski Will Not Play FIBA

Shortly after being named to the Serbian National Team for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, a Serbian news outlet is claiming that the Thunder forward will be sidelined this summer.

On Friday, the Serbian news outlet Zurnal.rs reported that Aleksej Pokusevski would be unable to play for Team Serbia at the FIBA World Cup this summer.

This report comes shortly after the Serbian National Team released its roster for the 2023 world cup with the OKC forward on the team.

Dealing with an injury earlier this summer, however, it appears that Pokusevski’s status for the world cup is in question, this time with a completely different ailment. At the beginning of June, the 21-year-old reportedly suffered a small fracture in his right humerus bone during a private workout, sidelining the Serbian 7-footer for a few weeks.

Now, Pokusevski is apparently dealing with a shoulder injury. 

According to the report from Zurnal.rs, he was not cleared to play until September and will be forced to sit out of the world cup. Many people on social media, however, have begun to refute this claim, saying that no final decision has been made on the Oklahoma City forward’s status for FIBA this summer.

Stay skeptical of this report.

— Evan McDaniel (@EvanEtm) July 28, 2023

The decision has NOT yet been made. Believe in Poku.

— kan (@kan_sokei) July 29, 2023

If Pokusevski is able to suit up for the Serbian national team, he would surely make a big impact for his home country. With fellow NBA players Nikola Jovic and Bogdan Bogdanovic in addition to Pokusevski, Team Serbia was ready to make a mark at the world cup.

Last season with the Thunder, Pokusevski notched 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 36.5% from beyond the arc. The third-year player suffered a terrible leg injury midway through the year that would cause him to miss multiple months of action, slowing down some of the progress he showed early in the year.

Prior to his injury, Pokusevski averaged 8.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 37.6% from beyond the arc.

If the skilled Thunder forward is able to play in the FIBA World Cup in late August, he will join OKC teammates Jack White, Josh Giddey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Davis Bertans in the event. For now, we will have to wait and see if the report from Zurnal.rs is truly the final decision on Pokusevski’s availability. 

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