The Panathinaikos center missed the last five months with a broken leg
Mathias Lessort ready for potential return in semifinal
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It was just over five months ago, on December 19 last year, when the basketball world was shocked by a gruesome leg injury All-EuroLeague center Mathias Lessort suffered in a Round 17 game against Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz.
The most optimistic prognosis after a fractured fibula was that the Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens big man might be able to return before the end of this campaign, even though the situation certainly looked like a season-ending injury.
Well, here we are, at the EuroLeague Final Four in Abu Dhabi, and Lessort is back with the team and ready to play.
“It’s no spoiler”, Lessort told large groups of media members who kept surrounding him during the media availability at Etihad Arena on Thursday afternoon. “I’ve been working really hard for five months to come back. I’ve been in the gym 5-6 hours a day every day for 6-7 days a week, so I really worked hard to be here.”
Lessort’s injury happened after he came down badly on his left ankle. The injury left Lessort lying on the floor in agony, while everyone at OAKA Altion was in shock. The game came to a halt as players from both teams grabbed their heads in disbelief, while fans were seen crying in the stands.
Now, five months later, the All-EuroLeague center might be putting it all behind him.
“I had a lot of people around me, whether it’s my family, my trainer, the coaches, the medical staff, so it’s a team effort and everybody contributes”, the big man said in sharing the credit for being available to play again.
However, with Panathinaikos fighting for another EuroLeague crown, Lessort has been trying to stay out of the spotlight and is giving praise to his teammates.
“My teammates fought to get to this position. They fought for five months without me, so I got to respect their work. It’s their moment. They earned their ticket here and I’m here just to help the team.”
Before the injury, Lessort had averaged 13.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in this, his second in Athens. At the moment of the injury, he was second in the league in rebounds and sixth in average PIR (20.5).
“I’ve come here with a cool head”, Lessort claimed. “Obviously, I helped them for half the season, but for the other half and then the playoffs, they did it without me. I don’t want to come in and just [mess] up everything that they’re doing. They won last year with me, but they got here this year without me.”
Lessort had already traveled with the team to road games and was seen lifting the team up with his energy in recent weeks, standing and jumping behind the bench.
“I’m just here to try to help them in whatever way I can. Whatever I can do to help my teammates and this organization, I’ll do it.”
Whether Lessort actually plays, however, will be up to coach Ergin Ataman.
“My teammates saw me in practice last week. They’ve seen what I can do, what I can bring to the team. The coaches, too. We’ll see tomorrow how they decide to use me, how many minutes if they do use me.
“But like I said, these guys got here without me so I really respect that and this is their Final Four, not mine”, Lessort concluded.