Australian basketball favourite Joe Ingles has been traded by his NBA franchise barely a week after suffering a serious knee injury.
The 34-year-old was traded by his beloved Utah Jazz – with whom he has played for eight years – to the Portland Trail Blazers before the NBA’s trade deadline.
He won’t be seen on the court for the Blazers any time soon, though, given he ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament last week in what were emotional scenes for the Jazz.
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He is one of the franchise’s best loved players, and took to Twitter to break the news this morning.
“Today hurts,” Ingles wrote.
“I knew it was a possibility but didn’t want to believe it. We have been lucky to call this place home for eight years.
https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/1491597604974522371?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
“I got more to say, but I’m going to have a beer and relax with some good friends.”
Ingles’ wife also took to Twitter in the wake of his trading.
“Today is so sad. I don’t have the words to put together just yet,” Renae Ingles said.
“Deeply saddened.”
After Ingles’ injury last week, Australian Boomers and Illawarra Hawks coach Brian Goorjian suggested Ingles could come home and finish his career in the NBL.
Ingles was a key member of the Boomers team that won a bronze medal at last year’s Olympics – the first Games medal ever won by an Aussie men’s team.
https://twitter.com/Joeingles7/status/1491566855433056258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/RenaeIngles/status/1491569949520777217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
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