According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, Anderson Varejao will likely be ruled out of playing in the Summer Olympics in Rio. Varejao, a Brazilian native, will not be able to play for his national team in his homeland.
Varejao’s absence was caused by a back injury and confirmed after he saw a back specialist on Monday. The Olympics begin on August 5th.
This is obviously a big blow for Brazil who hope to medal while playing in front of their home crowd. Despite being older, Varejao still has a lot to offer to his national team. The team will find it very difficult to go far in the tournament without one of their primary leaders and best players. Brazil will still feature several NBA players, however. Leandro Barbosa, Nene, and Marcelo Huertas are all slated to play for their national team in Rio.
Varejao averaged 2.6 points and 2.7 rebounds per game last season while playing for both the Cavaliers and the Warriors. He re-signed in Golden State in free agency to get another chance of winning a championship.
Unfortunately, he will not have the same opportunity in Rio.
