Sixers F Kelly Oubre Jr. struck by motor vehicle, reportedly expected to miss significant time
Kelly Oubre was released from the hospital, and will be evaluated again in one week
Philadelphia 76ers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. was hospitalized after being struck by a motor vehicle as a pedestrian in Philadelphia on Saturday, the Sixers announced Saturday.
He was in stable condition while at the hospital and was reportedly released late Saturday night.
The injuries are expected to cause Oubre to miss significant time, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, but they are not considered season ending. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey reportedly was among the team executives with Oubre at the hospital Saturday. The incident occurred near Oubre's residence in Center City, via a spokesman.
Police told The Associated Press that Oubre was struck by the vehicle moving at "a high rate of speed" around 7:20 p.m. while crossing an intersection near his home, and he was taken to Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. Police said a silver vehicle fled the scene after the incident, and an investigation is ongoing. Oubre was hit "in the upper chest area with the driver-side mirror."
“He’s back home,” 76ers head coach Nick Nurse said on Sunday afternoon, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I think he’s doing OK. Pretty traumatic incident and all those things, but he is home resting fairly comfortably … I think he’s going to be back to join the team — observing practice, etc. — by about Tuesday.
“I think we’re going to have about a week go by before we re-evaluate where he’s at, and then we’ll probably know a little better where he is and what the timeline looks like. That’s where we are right now.”
The 27-year-old Oubre is in his first season with the Sixers after signing a one-year, minimum-salary contract last offseason. He has been a major asset for the team so far as it figures out its post-James Harden identity, averaging 16.3 points per game on 50% shooting (37.8% from 3-point range) in eight games.
Oubre replaced P.J. Tucker in the starting lineup at the start of this month following the trade that sent the veteran forward and Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. A former first-round pick with the Washington Wizards, Oubre has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets.
“He sounds pretty good mentally, considering, to me,” Nurse said. “He kind of has an ‘I’ll be back before you know it’ type of attitude, so I think that’s a great place to start from him.”
