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sep 23 2026EuroLeague tips off this Thursday with several teams dealing with injury concerns. Panathinaikos will be without four players, Barcelona is missing two frontcourt players, and Zalgiris travels to Belgrade with three absences, according to official club reports.
Panathinaikos Hit Hardest
The Greek champions face Paris Basketball in their season opener without Kendrick Nunn, Kostas Sloukas, Nigel Hayes-Davis, and Moustapha Fall.
Nunn underwent knee surgery on August 19. Sloukas already missed the 2026 postseason due to a knee injury. Hayes-Davis suffered a fractured finger with a six-week recovery timeline announced on September 1. Fall has been dealing with a hamstring injury since September 9.
These are four top-tier names: three of them rank among the competition's highest-paid players.
Barcelona Without New Interior Players
The Blaugrana host Anadolu Efes without Tosan Evbuomwan, sidelined by a shoulder injury since September 4, and Yoan Makoundou, recovering from a knee issue announced on September 11.
Both are among the club's eleven summer signings and both are frontcourt reinforcements—precisely the position the club completely rebuilt.
Across the court, Efes also arrives incomplete: Isaia Cordinier, who underwent surgery in May with a four-month recovery window, and Georgios Papagiannis, who suffered an ACL injury in October 2025 and continues rehabilitation, will be unavailable.
Vitoria, Belgrade, and Others
In the Baskonia-Olympiacos matchup, the Vitoria club had not submitted an injury report at deadline, while Georgios Bartzokas has his full roster available. The notable story there is Nikola Milutinov, who did not play in the SuperCup and is listed as available for Matchday 1.
Ibon Navarro's Crvena Zvezda hosts Zalgiris with Nikola Djurisic as the only absence due to a thigh muscle injury with a three-to-four-week recovery timeline. Semi Ojeleye, who suffered an ankle injury in a preseason game on September 13, will be available.
Zalgiris, meanwhile, travels without Deividas Sirvydis and Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, with Saben Lee listed as a game-time decision despite the club announcing on September 8 that he would be out for several weeks.
In the Hapoel Tel Aviv-Bayern matchup, Tomer Ginat is ruled out by the Israeli side.
Friday's Absences
Besiktas debuts against Valencia Basket with Mady Sissoko's contract frozen due to a health issue. Valencia, for their part, will be without Neal Sako, recovering from a groin injury announced by the club on September 22.
And in the Partizan-Olimpia Milano game, the notable absence is not injury-related: Lorenzo Brown remains out of the Italian roster while negotiating his exit from the club and move to Hapoel Jerusalem.
Pending Reports
Several clubs had not submitted their injury reports at deadline: Dubai, Real Madrid, Bayern, Paris, Baskonia, ASVEL, Maccabi, Besiktas, Valencia, Fenerbahce, Virtus, Partizan, and Milan.
In Dubai's case, there are two situations to monitor: Dwayne Bacon suffered a head injury in the SuperCup semifinal and missed the third-place game, and Dzanan Musa did not play in the tournament.
