This summer’s Eurobasket competition features a number of NBA players competing in each country.
Headlines for former MVPS Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic found the star-studded fields of participants.
Luka Doncic represents Slovenia and appears to be particularly improving compared to previous seasons.
Young stars like Franz Wagner and Alperencengun also compete for their homeland.
However, one of the expected participants has decided to withdraw from the scheduled tournaments in Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia from August 27 to September 14.
Minnesota Timber Wolves Guard Don Teddy Vincenzo chose to skip the Eurobasket despite receiving official documents representing Italy in July.
Many fans watched him compete in a potential matchup with Giannis, especially as Greece and Italy were placed in the same group.
The former New York Knicks player made the difficult decision to focus on his condition and wanted to enter full health next season, rather than risking complications.
“Divincenzo had planned to play in Italy at Eurobasket from the end of the month, but he retreated as a precaution to ensure he gets healthy into training camp,” reported Jon Krawczynski.
The withdrawal comes from attention rather than current injuries concerns or team interference from Minnesota.
“There is no concern about a toe injury that missed time last season. The Timberwolves did not prevent him from playing, according to team sources,” the report revealed.
The news dismissed rumors suggesting that the Timberwolves had blocked Divinsenzo from international competition. The organization supported personal decisions regarding participation in the tournament.
Divincenzo suffered a toe injury earlier in the season and stood by for about a month. The injury raised legitimate concerns about his durability and long-term health care.
Despite the set-off, he made a significant contribution to Minnesota’s campaign, appearing in 62 games, averaging 11.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. His 39.7% three-point fire provided valuable intervals for the Timberwolves’ attacks.
Italian fans will miss out on him competing in the Eurobasket, but with the withdrawal, Divincento will ensure that he can fully contribute to Minnesota’s championship aspirations next season.
His health mentality was able to pay dividends during the tough NBA campaign, as the Timberwolves need many alternative scorers alongside Anthony Edwards.