Milwaukee Bucks: Mirza Teletovic suffering from pulmonary emboli in both lungs

The Milwaukee Bucks have announced that Mirza Teletovic is suffering from pulmonary emboli in both lungs following a recent knee surgery.

Currently recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, Milwaukee Bucks forward Mirza Teletovic has been dealt a further cruel and worrisome blow in his attempts to get back on the court.

Following reports from Teletovic’s native Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier in the day, the Bucks released an official statement on Thursday evening detailing the lung problem that will keep the 32-year-old sidelined for the foreseeable future.

According to the press release from the Bucks:

"“Milwaukee Bucks forward Mirza Teletovic will be sidelined as a result of pulmonary emboli in both lungs. Teletovic’s condition was discovered when consulting with Bucks team physicians after he experienced unusual fatigue earlier this week. Following a 10-day rest period, Teletovic will begin his supervised rehabilitation program and updates on his condition will be provided when appropriate.”"

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Of course, this isn’t the first time that Teletovic has suffered from this issue, as he was also sidelined with pulmonary emoli, or blood clots in his lungs, when he was playing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2015.

Unlike most injuries or illnesses that come about as part and parcel of the NBA season, this is a case where the stakes are much higher and the greatest of care needs to be taken for the player’s long term health, regardless of his basketball future.

Only 10 days ago, EuroHoops.net shared details of former Nets trainer Tim Walsh’s account of how Teletovic could have died if the condition hadn’t been identified when it was back in 2015.

The sharpshooting forward returned in just under three months when he last suffered from these issues, but Milwaukee will certainly be taking every precaution necessary before allowing Teletovic to take to the floor again.

Even without this setback, Teletovic would likely have been a couple of weeks away from returning from his knee injury.

In a cruel twist of fate, Teletovic spoke about how rarely he’s had to deal with time on the sidelines throughout his career in a recent piece by Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Teletovic referred to Jabari Parker as something of an inspiration as he rehabbed from his knee injury.

"“To have an injury like he had and just come back and you see him on the court now running, dunking and doing everything he was doing before. There’s no difference between Jabari now and Jabari a year ago. … I’m just trying to appreciate him as a teammate.”"

Now more than ever it seems safe to guess that he may look to lean on the Bucks’ young forward for motivation and support.

Prior to his issues with his knee and lungs, Teletovic was having an excellent start to the season for the Bucks, shooting 46.7 percent from deep through his first 10 games.

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With Milwaukee’s depth already pushed to its limits, Teletovic will be missed, but the focus for all Bucks fans should remain solely on wishing him a complete recovery.