Basketball On The Internet.

THE foot and facial injuries suffered today in a Euroleague match by one of Australia's finest players, Dante Exum, is an absolute disgrace and should lead to the long-term expulsion of Real Madrid's French forward Guerschon Yabusele, if not court action for assault occasioning bodily harm.

Exum most certainly would have a case. The Boomers' Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medal winner was leading Partizan Belgrade to a Game 2 victory for a 2-0 playoff lead over Real with 19 points when referees called off the game with two minutes remaining.

Partizan was ahead 95-80 when Real's Sergio Llull crudely fouled Partizan's Kevin Punter, sparking a bench-clearing brawl.

Yabusele grabbed Exum from behind and body-slammed him into the floor, breaking one of the slightly-built guard's toes and splitting open his lip.

It was one of the most violent, hideous and indefensible actions ever seen on a basketball court, Exum assisted back to the changerooms and supported by crutches when he left the venue.

To call it a dog act would be unkind to dogs.

“It is a serious physical injury," Partizan medico Moma Jakovljevic told Mozzart Sport. “The tendon in his toe has broken. His finger was injured and his mouth was bloody from a tooth injury.

“The way Jabusele threw him with a judo move, that’s for prison, for life suspension.

“As Jabusele threw him, Exum could have broken his spine, seriously injured his head and ended his career. This was terrible. I have never seen this in my life.”

Make up your own mind by clicking this link to see the vision.

Exum has become a Euroleague star after a mixed NBA career ultimately cruelled by injury.

Taken as the No.5 pick in the 2014 NBA draft by Utah Jazz, his rookie season showed great promise. He played all 82 games of the regular season and had 41 starts during which the Jazz went 24-17.

Rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee playing for the Boomers on a European tour, he underwent surgery and missed the entire 2015-16 NBA season.

Restricted to 66 games in 2016-17, shoulder surgery further cut him back to 14 games in 2017-18. An ankle sprain worsened with a bone bruise, then a partially torn patellar tendon in his right knee, meant he played just 42 games in 2018-19.

On Christmas Eve in 2019, Exum was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers. Just over a year later in January, 2021, he was traded to Houston Rockets.

Finally free of injury, Exum's performances for Australia at the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 became more and more crucial to the Boomers' success in claiming their historic first-ever medal at an Olympics.

The Rockets evidently were not paying attention, waiving him in October, 2021. But since then, the 198cm combo guard has starred in Europe, first with FC Barcelona and currently with Partizan.

Exum is one of the sons of NBL import Cecil Exum, a former teammate of Michael Jordan's at University of North Carolina and an NCAA champion in 1982. Cecil played NBL with North Melbourne Giants, Melbourne Tigers and Geelong Supercats.

The question now is over the severity of Dante's injuries, mostly his toe and whether that will put into any doubt his position with the Australian team.

He is now a key component of the Boomers team which will contest the FIBA World Cup in August.