Ex-Warrior Reserve From 2015 NBA Champion Team In Coma After Car Crash

Ognjen Kuzmic may not ring a bell to NBA fans although the 29-year-old was a member of the Golden State Warriors that won the NBA title back in 2015. The Serbian was reportedly involved in a car crash on Sunday morning and was placed in an induced coma.

Kuzmic was involved in a serious traffic accident on a state road between Banja Luka and Prijedor. He collided with a car going in the opposite direction while traveling at high speed, b92.net reported. The Serbian sustained life-threatening injuries, reportedly breaking his maxilla and mandible head bones as well as his chest. The 7-footer was allegedly with Bosnian boxer Drazan Janjanin inside the car at the time of the accident.

According to a report from EuroHoops.net, the first 24 hours after the crash is encouraging. His condition was reviewed in detail by a medical team and x-ray scans to Kuzmic’s head showed that there aren’t any additional complications in the head injuries the player sustained in the accident. His lung function has also been gradually restored.

Kuzmic appeared in only 37 games for the Warriors during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 NBA seasons and hardly produced notable numbers. He averaged 1.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in the 2014-15 NBA season where he played 16 games.

During his rookie and sophomore year, Kuzmic was also assigned to play for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League. He earned a spot in the NBA D-League Defensive Third Team at the time and was part of a championship team as well during the 2014-15 season. Ironically, this was the same year the Warriors won the NBA title, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals.

The 2015 NBA title is not the only championship Kuzmic has won. He was also been part of multiple champion teams in the EuroLeague, ABA League, and the Serbian League. When he played for Crvena Zvezda during the 2016-17 EuroLeague season, he earned the nod of MVP of the month for January honors. The Serbian was not spared from injuries as well, dealing with ankle and knee injuries.