The star big man hurt his ankle early in the third quarter
All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort leaves game with leg injury
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Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens’s All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort was reportedly taken to the hospital during Thursday’s game against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz after suffering an apparent ankle injury early in the third quarter. Lessort came down badly on his left ankle after tipping a steal away and could be heard screaming from pain immediately after. He later hopped on one leg off the court.
Immediately after the game, Baskonia guard Markus Howard huddled with players from both teams and led a prayer for Lessort.
Before the injury, Lessort was shining for the Greens with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 16 minutes. For the season, his second in Athens, Lessort has averaged 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He was second in the league in rebounds and sixth in average PIR (20.5).
"We’re praying the injury is not as serious as it looks," Panathinaikos guard Kendrick Nunn said after the game. "We just need everybody to keep him in our prayers. He’s our brother and we are going to have his back, that’s for sure."
Head coach Ergin Ataman added: "We have nothing to celebrate and it’s very bad luck for Mathias. It looks like he broke his leg and the whole team was in shock after that."
"That’s my brother, it’s bad to see him down like that and I am at a loss for words," Panathinaikos playmaker Lorenzo Brown said. "I hope he has a speedy recovery and it’s going to be tough for us to move on."
Over the past few seasons, Lessort has cemented himself as one of the best big men in Europe. He was an All-EuroCup First Team selection in 2021 as he helped AS Monaco win the EuroCup. Two years later he was an All-EuroLeague First Teamer with Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade and last season he helped Panathinaikos win the EuroLeague while retaining his spot among the competition’s top five players. He also captured a silver medal with the French national team last summer at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Several of his former teams had wished Lessort well long before the final buzzer sounded Thursday in Athens.