Former Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto suffers nasty injury during FIBA World Cup

Raul Neto made headlines at the FIBA World Cup for all the wrong reasons.

While teams will win and lose as the FIBA World Cup tournament progresses, it’s largely a celebration of the sport and its reach across the international markets. The best of the best come together to celebrate the game we all love, all while taking in unique matchups never before seen. Rarely, if ever, does a dark cloud hang over the games.

Sadly, for the 2023 games, that’s exactly what happened on Saturday, Aug. 26. Former Utah Jazz and most recently Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard, Raul Neto, was playing for his native Brazil against Iran. The Brazillian point guard in just under 15 minutes had put up eight points, four assists, and five steals against an out-matched Iranian team.

Yet, as the third quarter started and ticked away, Neto came down the court and seemingly slipped as he drove to the basket, tumbling back to the floor. He lay on the court, holding his leg until paramedics and trainers could get him off the court via a stretcher.

Early reports from Basquete Brasil CBB were that Neto may have a ruptured patellar tendon. That’s the tendon that attaches the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the shin, so it’s not an injury he can just “walk-off”.

The injury will affect Brazil’s chances in the tournament, as he was one of the more dynamic players on the Brazilian squad. They had hopes of making it out of the second round of Group Play and into the single-elimination tournament, but losing Neto has hindered those chances.

As for Neto, not only will he miss out on the rest of the FIBA World Cup, but he recently signed with Turkish team Fenerbahce S.K. of the EuroLeague. Recovery time for a ruptured patellar tendon is roughly six months, meaning it’s unlikely he’d be ready to return to the court for FSK. He’ll likely be ready to return around February or March, and the league ends in early May usually.

It’s a sad break for Neto.