Australian basketball player fractures back after backboard crashes down during practice

Ben Griscti, who plays for the Australian professional men’s basketball team, the Adelaide 36ers, is on the road to recovery after he was on the receiving end of a backboard mishap recently during practice.

The 36-year-old ended up with a fractured vertebra after a backboard collapsed following a fellow basketball player’s dunk during last Saturday’s practice at the Australian Institute of Sport Arena in Canberra, the Adelaide 36ers confirmed.

The injury forced Griscti to the sideline for the start of Australia’s National Basketball League season.

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“Ben was injured when a backboard collapsed on top of him during the team’s shootaround at the AIS Arena, ahead of the side’s final NBL Blitz game,” a news release from the Adelaide 36ers read.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, a hospital was located within a five-minute car trip from the arena, but it took roughly 90 minutes for an ambulance to arrive. 

“There were a number of other emergencies in the territory at the time of that call,” an ACT Ambulance Service official told the outlet.

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“As soon as we were able to dispatch a paramedic crew to that patient they attended, and they transported that patient in a stable condition through to the emergency department,” the spokesperson added.

Fox News Digital requested comment from the ACT Ambulance Service and the Australian government’s Office for Sport but did not immediately receive a response.

Officials said Griscti was “conscious, alert and breathing” before and during the hospital transport. The team doctor tended to Griscti before the emergency response vehicle arrived at the arena.

The injury is not expected to require surgery, the team said. Griscti has returned home since he sustained the back fracture. There is currently no timetable for Griscti’s return to the hardwood.

“He has traveled home to Adelaide and a timeline for him to return to the court will not be set until he is able to get further medical advice to determine the next steps around the management of the injury,” the statement concluded.

However, Griscti noted via an NBL social media account that he intended to “be back soon.” He also expressed gratitude for the “messages of support.”

The NBL released a statement, saying in part the league was “deeply saddened” after learning of Griscti’s injury.

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