Aaron Gordon’s is saying goodbye to the rest of his NBA season.
via People:
The Denver Nuggets announced on Wednesday that the basketball player, 28, suffered lacerations to his face and shooting hand after being bit by a dog on Christmas.
According to ESPN and The Athletic, the incident caused Gordon to require 21 stitches. While a date for his return was not announced, the Nuggets said that Gordon is “in good condition” and that additional updates would be provided as necessary.
Earlier that day, the power forward helped the Nuggets secure a 120-114 win against the Golden State Warriors by scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Coach Michael Malone told reporters on Wednesday that the Nuggets are focused on getting Gordon healed “inside and out” before making a return.
“We’re not going to put any pressure on him. We need him to heal inside and out. Going through something like that is not something you come back from easily,” he said. “That’s something where you have to heal from the physical, but you also have to heal from the mental and what you just kind of went through.”
“We want him back. We know we’re better off with him,” added Malone. “But I want to support Aaron Gordon and make sure when he comes back, he’s ready to come back and play at the level that we know he’s capable.”
Teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope told reporters that the team learned about Gordon’s injury during practice. “My condolences go out to him. I know he’s feeling down right now, but I’m going to reach out today and just try to uplift him [and] make sure he’s good,” he said.
The injury comes after Gordon had to miss four games in November and early December due to a heel strain. According to The Athletic, Gordon said that walking felt like “stepping on a stone” after making his return on Dec. 2 during the team’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
That’s unfortunate.
