Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Raul Neto broke his silence after suffering a rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Following the injury, Neto was taken off the floor on a stretcher. It’s certainly not a sight that anyone wanted to see.
Raul Neto'nun sakatlandığı pozisyon pic.twitter.com/Ya1CbiGjsE
— Nals (@nalsizm) August 26, 2023
Neto, who is representing Brazil in the World Cup, was set to play in Turkey this upcoming season, but he will likely miss that with the injury.
The former Cavs guard posted on Instagram to share his disappointment with his World Cup ending in an injury.
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“There was no other place I wanted to be more than in this world championship with this Brazilian team,” Neto wrote on his Instagram (translated via Google Translate).
He said that athletes never imagine an injury of that severity happening to them, making it hard for him to put his feelings into words.
The former Cavs guard also thanked all of the teammates and people that gave him messages of support after he dealt with the injury.
Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell was one of those former teammates. Neto and Mitchell not only played together on the Cavs in the 2022-23 season, but they also spent time together when Mitchell was a part of the Utah Jazz.
Neto, 31, likely has a lengthy rehab ahead of him to return to the floor. Brazil will have to continue the rest of the 2023 FIBA World Cup without him, which may make it tough on the team to advance far in the tournament since Neto is such a talented player.
During his time in the NBA, Neto has played for the Jazz, Cavs, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards.
He’s proven to be a steady backup point guard, starting just 99 of the 435 games that he’s appeared in. During the 2022-23 season, he appeared in 48 games for the Cavs and averaged 3.3 points, 1.6 assists and 1.0 rebound per game while shooting 51.8 percent from the field.
This offseason, Neto agreed to a deal with Fenerbahce Beko of Turkey. It’s possible that once he is healthy that he will continue to resume his basketball career with the club, but Neto will need to recover from this injury before that can be decided.
