Blake Griffin has company — he is no longer the only member of the Clippers to injure himself throwing a punch.
About a year and a half after Griffin got hurt striking a team equipment manager, Danilo Gallinari broke the thumb on his shooting hand while throwing down with an opponent. The 28-year-old nailed Jito Kok of the Netherlands in the face while playing for the Italian national team over the weekend in an exhibition game as part of the run-up to Eurobasket.
The tape shows the scuffle occurred on a rebound after a free throw. Kok gave Gallinari an elbow and the Italian came back hard, pushing Kok and escalating the incident into a fight. After the punch was thrown, the two were separated by players from both teams.
Gallinari is now out for the tournament. The injury, however, is not expected to require surgery, ESPN reported. Gallinari will miss three-to-four weeks and is expected to be healthy in time for September training camp.
Gallinari, who spent his first two and a half NBA seasons with the Knicks before being involved in the Carmelo Anthony trade, signed a three-year, $65 million deal with the Clippers this summer.