Brisbane Bullets star Cameron Bairstow will miss the rest of the NBL season after scans revealed an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his left knee.
Former NBA player Bairstow suffered the injury during overtime in Brisbane's 91-85 home defeat to the Illawarra Hawks on Monday night.
The 26-year-old crashed to the Brisbane Convention Centre floor when his knee buckled and gave way as he surged on a fast break with just 68 seconds left on the clock.
It is a brutal blow for the Bullets, who sit fourth on the NBL ladder after losing five of their last seven games, and will now lose their marquee man and most recognisable face.
However, with a surplus of big men - Daniel Kickert, Tom Jervis, Anthony Petrie and Mitch Young - already on the books and a vacant import spot on their roster, there is ample scope for coach Andrej Lemanis to turn things around.
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The Bullets say no recovery timeframe has been set but it's likely Bairstow will be sidelined for the next 12 months, which is also a major setback to his ambitions of an eventual NBA return.
Bairstow started the NBL season with an injury as well, and didn't make his debut until Brisbane's third outing because of a dislocated shoulder he suffered at the Rio Olympics.
