Nikola Milutinov, Olympiacos' Serbian center, was substituted just 129 seconds into the club's final against Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Neofytos Chandriotis arena in Nicosia, Cyprus, after asking head coach Georgios Bartzokas to take him off the court.
Donta Hall came on in Milutinov's place. An initial medical assessment found that Milutinov was suffering from tendinitis in his left rectus femoris, the muscle running down the front of the thigh, and he did not return to the game for the rest of the match.
Quick exit for Olympiacos' center
The withdrawal came barely two minutes into a final pitting the Greek club against one of Israel's leading basketball sides. Milutinov signalled to the bench almost as soon as the game began, and Bartzokas sent on Hall without delay to replace him.
Who is Nikola Milutinov
Milutinov is a Serbian international center who has spent years at Olympiacos and is a regular member of Serbia's national team. At club level, he has established himself as one of Olympiacos' key frontcourt players in both domestic competition and the EuroLeague.
Olympiacos and Maccabi Tel Aviv
Olympiacos, based in the Greek port city of Piraeus, is one of the most decorated clubs in European basketball, having won the EuroLeague three times. Maccabi Tel Aviv, based in Israel, is likewise one of the continent's most successful teams and has also lifted the EuroLeague trophy on multiple occasions. The two sides met in the final held at the Neofytos Chandriotis arena in Nicosia, the capital of Cyprus.
Bartzokas' bench options
Georgios Bartzokas, Olympiacos' head coach, has led several top European clubs over his career and has won EuroLeague titles as a coach. On this occasion he turned to Donta Hall, an American center, who came on within the opening minutes to fill in for Milutinov and remained on the floor as his replacement for the rest of the game.
What is known so far
The tendinitis diagnosis was described as the initial finding on Milutinov's condition. No further detail on the extent of the problem or how long he might be affected was given.
