Wizards' Bilal Coulibaly undergoes thumb surgery, out at season start

Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly underwent surgery Friday in New York City to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, the team said, and is expected to miss the start of the NBA regular season after sustaining the injury while playing for France at EuroBasket. The club confirmed the procedure but did not provide a firm recovery timetable, saying only that his status will be updated as appropriate.

Team officials and reports say Coulibaly felt intermittent discomfort in the thumb during parts of the tournament and had the digit taped for several games before aggravating the injury on Sept. 7 in France's round of 16 loss to Georgia, a game in which he was held scoreless. The timing of the initial injury is not entirely clear, but multiple accounts indicate the problem worsened in that elimination contest and led to the decision for surgery.

Several outlets have projected a six to eight week recovery window, and team medical timelines for similar repairs typically put a return to full basketball activities at roughly six weeks from surgery. Even on the shorter end of that range, Coulibaly would still need additional time for contact work and a full ramp up before being...