PHILADELPHIA – 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. broke a rib when he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene Saturday night in Philadelphia's Center City, authorities said.
The 27-year-old Oubre was taken to a hospital in stable condition after being hit and was released a few hours later. The team officially ruled Oubre out for a home game Sunday night against the Indiana Pacers and said in a statement he would be re-evaluated in about one week.
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“He’s back home and he’s doing OK,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said during his pre-game media session. “It’s a pretty traumatic incident (but) he is home and resting fairly comfortably. That’s where we are right now.”
Oubre is expected to return to the team's practice facility as an observer on Tuesday before being re-examined to determine a timeline for an eventual return, Nurse said. The injury is not considered season-ending.
“He’s got an ‘I’ll be back before you know it’ type of attitude," Nurse said. "That’s a great place to start for him.”
Oubre was walking near his home at about 7:20 p.m. Saturday and was heading west on a street when a vehicle travelling in the same direction “at a high rate of speed” tried to turn south onto the street he was crossing. The vehicle hit him “in the upper chest area with the driver-side mirror,” police said Sunday.
The car, described as silver in color, kept going south and fled the scene. Fire department medics responded and took Oubre to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital “in stable condition with a broken rib and injuries to his hip and right leg,” police said, adding that an investigation is ongoing.
Oubre is in his first season with the 76ers and has averaged 16.8 points in the first eight games. He was the 15th overall pick of the 2015 draft and has played with four other teams.
“It’s too bad that he’s been on an upward trend and heading towards a good season and stuff," Nurse said. “That’s kind of a bummer for me for it to happen to him — a guy who needed a break, was getting one and he did everything he could to give himself a break. Then to have that happen — it puts it in perspective as well.”
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