FC Bayern Munich experienced a roller-coaster of emotions in its mid-week German League victory as Paul Zipser returned to the court seven months after brain surgery but Nick Weiler-Babb banged his head on the court in a bad fall.
Zipser's emotional return for Bayern tempered by Weiler-Babb fall
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Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri substituted Zipser in for the final 15 seconds of the third quarter as the German international had successfully recovered from his brain haemorrhage and emergency brain surgery last June.
"It would be an understatement when I say it was a special night," Zipser said on social media. "That moment when I heard my name is a moment I'll never forget."
"His use was not planned, and he looked at me with huge eyes: Let's go, Pauli," Trinchieri said after Bayern’s 86-75 win over Hamburg Towers. "It's the first small step, but a big step for him: to be alive, to be part of something he's good at, to enjoy it. Privacy is very important, but believe me: I will never forget those days back then. When I called his name and he came [in the game], I was very moved. This is just the beginning, the best is yet to come."
The game also saw the return of Darrun Hillliard, who had missed the last three months with a knee injury.
But those two pieces of good news were overshadowed by a scary fall from Weiler-Babb, whose fingers slipped on a dunk attempt in the second quarter and landed head first on the parquet. Weiler-Babb laid unconscious on the floor for multiple minutes before being rushed to local hospital.
"Nick came back to consciousness pretty soon and he can move his arms and legs. He's in hospital now for further checkups," Bayern said in a statement, adding later: "Nick is okay, he has no fractures in the head area."