Point guard Bilal Coulibaly will be out for the Washington Wizards at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. According to information from Shams Charania, from ESPN North America, the athlete underwent surgery this Friday after suffering a ligament rupture in the thumb of his right hand while defending France at EuroBasket 2025.
An exact recovery timeline has not yet been defined, but Charania highlighted that the Frenchman “will miss some time” in the North American league’s regular season.
In the European tournament, Coulibaly averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in six matches for France. The team finished the group stage atop Group D but was eliminated in the round of 16, losing 80-70 to Georgia.
Bilal Coulibaly entered the NBA as the seventh pick in the 2023 Draft, selected by the Washington Wizards. After a lackluster rookie year, the shooting guard improved in 2024-25, averaging 12.3 points, 5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 42.1 percent from the field.
While he recovers, the Wizards’ roster should rely on names like Khris Middleton, Corey Kispert and Kyshawn George to fill his absence in the rotation.
The U.S. capital franchise continues its rebuilding process after finishing last season second to last in the NBA standings, with a record of 18 wins and 64 losses. At the end of September, the Wizards will begin training camp in preparation for their opener against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 22.
Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
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