Portland Trail Blazers rookie Toumani Camara will miss the remainder of the season with a fractured left rib and a small laceration in the kidney, the team announced.
Camara sustained the injury on Wednesday in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He stayed overnight in a hospital in Atlanta for further observation and has been released. He will return to Portland for further testing and is expected to make a full recovery.
He recorded 17 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes before the injury.
Camara had missed three games this season, though will miss the last eight contests. He leads the team in games played (70) and is second in total minutes (1,739).
During Wednesday’s matchup in Atlanta, Toumani Camara left the fourth quarter with a rib injury. Further testing showed that he has a fractured left rib and a small laceration in the kidney.
Camara will miss the rest of the 2023-2024 season and is expected to make a full… pic.twitter.com/HaiUQVrJOB
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) March 30, 2024
Camara finishes the season averaging 7.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists on 45% shooting from the field. He is one of two first-year players with at least 350 points, 300 rebounds, 60 steals and 35 3-pointers (Victor Wembanyama).
The 52nd pick was part of a historic lineup when the Trail Blazers became just the second team to start five rookies on March 23. The team kept that lineup for the next two games, becoming the first to start five rookies multiple times.
Camara was acquired from the Phoenix Suns as part of the three-team trade involving Damian Lillard. He was viewed as a key part of the trade for the Trail Blazers and emerged as a valuable member of the rotation this season for Chauncey Billups.
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