Kyle Kuric officially re-signed for Gran Canaria for a third straight season and with that ended a traumatic ten months where he nearly lost his life.
It was an October morning at 5:30am when Kuric, a former Louisville standout missed the team bus, taking Gran Canaria over to Vitoria for a Liga Endesa game with Laboral Kutxa. But Kuric made it to the arena eventually but he knew something wasn’t right.
“I woke up late and felt an irritating headache,” Kuric said. “I thought it was early-morning stuff. Shootaround was all right, but I knew something was off. Then, during warm-ups for the game, I felt a piercing headache and told the coach I couldn’t play.”
The headaches, something that Kuric said was annoying but would pass instead got worse and he was later taken to a medical facility, but was later released. Nothing more was thought of.
The doctors informed Kuric that he should not travel abroad as a precaution and thus missed Gran Canaria’s trek to Germany for a EuroCup fixture with ALBA Berlin. Kuric rested but unfortunately his headaches got worse and he eventually found himself back in hospital with the same symptoms.
After a CT scan, it was revealed that the constant, thumping headaches that Kuric was experiencing was a brain tumour.
For Kuric, he tried to remain calm throughout – and while they removed the tumour – he was put into a coma … His life in the balance.
After repeated life-threatening surgeries, Kuric became the first-ever professional basketball player with an acrylic polymer implant, a synthetic 3D material scarred under his hairline. He couldn’t stand or walk and he lost approximately 30 pounds.
Despite the ongoing battles with the bigger picture: his life, Kuric repeatedly asked when he could get back on the court, knowing that his 2015-16 season with Gran Canaria was all but done.
Ten long months, and battles that he never thought that in his 26 years of life that he would be fighting – Kuric returned to the court in the NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Suns. A month later, he penned a deal to stay with Gran Canaria.
Whatever goes down this season, Kuric’s fighting spirit and determination to fight will be remembered forever.
Bleacher Report writer David Pick contributed to this report.
