Getty
Nico Mannion leaves the pitch after a game at the Tokyo Olympics.
After a viral photo showed his shocking weight loss, the new draft pick became the Golden State Warriors seems fine.
Nico Mannion, a 2020 second-round pick who recently signed with Virtus Bologna in Italy’s Serie A for next season, suffered a serious setback while playing for the Italian men’s national basketball team at the Tokyo Olympics. Struck by an illness that led to some dramatic changes to his body, Mannion now seems to be back on track.
The latest Warriors news delivered to your inbox! Take part Heavy on Warriors newsletter here!
Mannion suffers a frightening weight loss
As Ezra Amacher from SB Nation’s Arizona Desert Storm reports Mannion suffered an intestinal infection during the Olympics that kept him away from Virtus training camp and was unable to play the preseason. Mannion’s condition caught viral attention when a photo showed him, with a much smaller frame, watching his team train.
Apparently Nico Mannion contracted an intestinal virus during the Olympic Games in Tokyo and will now be absent for several weeks because of the stomach virus. Looks like he’s lost a lot of weight. Hoping he’ll get better soon. pic.twitter.com/poaB3HL7pm
– TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) September 6, 2021
Almost a week after the photo first surfaced, there are signs that Mannion is back on track. The video shared this week showed him exercising with pushups. Davide Chinellato, editor of the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, posted the video on Twitter and found Mannion lost 17 pounds during his ordeal.
Former warriors Nico Mannion does some push-ups during a training session with his new Italian team, Virtus Bologna.
Mannion lost around 17 pounds due to a virus that will delay his debut in the Italian league.
Warriors still have his # NBA75 right pic.twitter.com/GFzrPH683v
– Davide Chinellato (@dchinellato) September 9, 2021
Mannion may already have regained much of what he lost. Anthony Slater from The Athletic found that Mannion worked with medical specialists in Italy and was able to put the weight back on.
“Former Warriors security guard Nico Mannion contracted a serious intestinal infection abroad but, according to the source, has fully recovered under the care of Italian specialists at Sant’Orsola Hospital in Bologna,” tweeted Slater. “He has regained 17 of the pounds lost from the infection and started individual training.”
Mannion may have more work to do before he can return to court. Virtus head coach Sergio Scariolo said EuroHoops.net that the team was looking for a replacement for the start of the season at the end of September.
Mannion could return to warriors at some point
While Mannion’s immediate future will be in Italy’s top basketball league, the 20-year-old has made it clear that he plans to play in the NBA again. The Warriors will retain their restricted free agent rights when he returns to the league. Mannion shared time between Golden State and the team’s G League subsidiary in Santa Cruz last season, appearing in 30 games in the NBA, averaging 4.1 points and 2.3 assists in 12.1 minutes each Game.
game
Nico Mannion’s best pieces of his rookie year | 2020-21 highlightsAs the 48th overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, Nico Mannion shone during his rookie season at The Bay. Look back at his best 2020-21 games with the Dubs.2021-07-07T17: 16: 05Z
As Brady Klopfer from SB Nation’s Golden State of Mind Moving to Italy seemed like a wise decision as Mannion would need more time to develop and minutes would be hard to find in the Warriors’ rotation.
“From a Golden State perspective, you don’t have to try to find a spot on the list for another project as James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody already have seats,” he wrote. “They are fans of Mannion’s potential – it has been projected by many as a lottery tip for the 2019-20 college season – and Steve Kerr likes him very much. But he’s not ready to join a rival team just yet, so the Dubs can wait and see if he can develop into a quality player before they burn him up a squad spot. “
CONTINUE READING: Steph Curry is honest about his long-term future with the Warriors
