Virtus Segafredo Bologna forward Achille Polonara will undergo surgery on Tuesday to address a recently discovered testicular tumor, the club announced. His recovery period will be determined after the operation.
Polonara, 32, played as recently as the opening round of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague season last Thursday, when he was on the floor for 10 minutes as Virtus lost at home to Zalgiris Kaunas. He actually joined Virtus from Zalgiris in the summer. He had played the first half of last season with Anadolu Efes Istanbul before moving to Zalgiris at the start of 2023 and helping the team reach the playoffs.
Polonara debuted in the EuroLeague with Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2019 and took the competition by storm in the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.2 points, 6.6 rebounds – second behind only Walter Tavares of Real Madrid – 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals for a 16.5 PIR that ranked 11th among all players.
His playing time and numbers dropped slightly to 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists during the 2021-22 season with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul before he moved to Efes and Zalgiris last season.