Former Oklahoma City Thunder and current Los Angeles Clippers big Serge Ibaka is out for the remainder of the playoffs after undergoing back surgery, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Ibaka missed every game from March 15 through May 13 before returning for the final two regular season games. He played the first two games of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks but has been unable to go since.
The back surgery will sideline him for the remainder of the 2021 postseason.
He posted a picture from the hospital to Instagram with a caption that included, in part, “It’s been a very tough season, I worked very hard to be back in time for the Playoffs but sometimes injuries get in the way and health has to be a priority.”
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Ibaka played 41 games this season and averaged 11.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. Last year, with the Toronto Raptors, he appeared in 55 games.
At the time of reports that Ibaka had undergone surgery, the Clippers trailed the Utah Jazz 2-0 in the second round of the playoffs. Los Angeles also trailed the Dallas Mavericks 2-0 in the first round before coming back and getting the 4-3 series victory.
