Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly undergoes thumb surgery, expected to miss start of 2025–26 season

The Washington Wizards players have been frequently sidelined with injuries recently. Alex Sarr reportedly left EuroBasket a few weeks ago because of a calf injury. Now, Bilal Coulibaly, Sarr's French teammate, has also sustained an injury during the EuroBasket. He subsequently underwent surgery in New York City on Friday to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, the team announced.

Coulibaly is likely to miss the start of the regular season, sources tell ESPN.

Bilal Coulibaly to miss start of NBA season following thumb surgery

The NBA season officially begins on October 21, while teams are preparing for training camp starting in late September. The Washington Wizards are a young team to watch, but they may start the season without Bilal Coulibaly, one of their key players.According to ESPN on Friday, Coulibaly had surgery on his thumb and is anticipated to miss some time at the beginning of the regular season. While competing for France in the EuroBasket competition this summer, he reportedly tore a ligament in his right thumb.

Despite finishing first in Group D, France lost to Georgia 80-70 in the Round of 16.

The report read: “Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly underwent surgery Friday to repair a ligament tear in his right thumb and is likely to miss time into the regular season, sources tell ESPN. Coulibaly sustained the injury with the French national team during FIBA EuroBasket play.” However, it is still unclear how many games Coulibaly might miss for the Wizards. Given that his recovery can take up to three months, Coulibaly could miss a significant portion of the start of the 2025–26 season.

Bilal Coulibaly might not be available on the court until December.

Bilal Coulibaly’s rise and contributions in his first two seasons with the Washington Wizards

One of the star players the Wizards are focusing on is the former first-round selection, Bilal Coulibaly. He showed significant improvement in his second season after a challenging rookie year. He averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per contest in all 59 games for the Wizards in his second year of playing in the NBA during 2024-25.

The shooting guard was sent to the Wizards on draft night after being picked seventh overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2023. During his rookie season in France with Metropolitans 92, Coulibaly played alongside future San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and was gradually integrated into Washington’s rotation after joining the team. Though he started only 15 of 63 games, he averaged 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. The team has fallen short of 20 wins in both of Coulibaly’s first two seasons with the Wizards. However, he later proved to be a valuable player. Also read: Is Damian Lillard leaving the NBA? Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard switches role amid injury setback