Brisbane Bullets big-man Harry Froling will miss the remainder of the 2022-23 NBL season due to a head injury sustained after an alleged assault, the team announced.
The alleged assault took place after the Bullets' road win over the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday evening. Froling was out with multiple other NBL players after the game, and suffered the apparent one-punch attack in the early hours of Sunday morning, sources told ESPN.
NSW Police say that emergency services were called to Crown Street, Wollongong at around 2:40am, following reports a man had been found unconscious on the footpath.
Froling was taken to Wollongong Hospital before he self-discharged later that morning, NSW Police say. He travelled back to Brisbane with his Bullets teammates.
Froling had suffered a fractured skull and underwent brain surgery at Brisbane's Prince Charles Hospital following the attack, sources said. He remains in stable condition.
The Bullets say they are working closely with NSW Police and NBL Integrity Unit to investigate the circumstances surrounding an alleged assault.
On Tuesday afternoon, a 19-year-old man was arrested over the alleged assault, the NSW Police say. The man attended Wollongong Police Station around 3.20pm on Tuesday; the inquiry into the incident will continue.
Froling, 24, was a member of the Hawks last NBL season, before signing with the Bullets for the 2022-23 campaign. He's the brother of current Hawks big-man, Sam Froling.
The native of Townsville was the NBL's Rookie of the Year in 2019, and will finish this season with averages of 5.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.