Sacramento Kings’ Rudy Gay fractures jaw on dirty play
By Bryan Rose
While USA Basketball and Rudy Gay may come home with a gold medal after the FIBA World Cup, that isn’t the only thing Gay will be bringing back stateside.
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During Team USA’s victory over Lithuania, the Sacramento Kings forward has smashed in the face with a perceived dirty elbow. Rudy Gay was in immediate pain and left the court during the third quarter.
Tests were conducted on the small forward and as feared, the former UConn star had suffered a jaw fracture.
“I’ve got a fracture in my jaw, a broken tooth and am going to probably need a root canal,” Gay told USA TODAY Sports. “The top is where I got hit. It’s painful. It’s uncomfortable, and it still bleeds, so I’ve got to continuously gargle. It is what it is, man.”
The injury likely won’t keep him out of action, a good thing considering Gay believes the play was uncalled for and completely illegal.
“I think (the elbow) had a little bit to do with (the situation afterward),” Gay said. “It was a dirty play, man. It was a dirty play.”
Ironically enough, during the same game, Gay’s Sacramento Kings teammate DeMarcus Cousins took a clear illegal elbow to the throat. Cousins, who has been said to be a bit of a headcase in the past reacted like any person would, clenching his fists and nearly starting a fight though caught himself before throwing a punch.
Thankfully Cousins’ brain worked before his fist and Rudy Gay didn’t suffer any further damage outside of the fractured jaw.