By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
AEK faces a significant injury crisis at the most critical juncture of the 2025-26 season, as key players RaiQuan Gray and Mindaugas Kuzminskas have both been ruled out for Saturday’s Round 24 clash against Aris Betsson in the 2025-26 Regular Season of Greece’s Stoiximan GBL. Both players are now considered questionable for the pivotal second game of the Basketball Champions League Season X, powered by Ameresco SUNEL, Quarterfinals against Asisa Joventut in Badalona.
The loss of Gray is a massive blow to AEK’s frontcourt. The 26-year-old former NBA draft pick has been the cornerstone of the team’s European campaign, recently earning Most Valuable Player honors for the Round of 16. The former Florida State standout leads the team with an 18.3 efficiency rating, the highest among all active players in the BCL, while averaging 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He suffered a right hip injury during the series opener and remains sidelined from team practices. Joining him in the trainer’s room is the veteran Kuzminskas, who was excluded from the trip to Thessaloniki after reporting discomfort in his right Achilles tendon.
Despite these setbacks, AEK currently holds a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series following a hard-fought home victory on Wednesday. They are now just one win away from clinching a spot in the Final Four, which is ironically scheduled to be held in Badalona.
Το νέο «ιατρικό δελτίο» της «Βασίλισσας»#aekbc #stoiximangblhttps://t.co/KVEde7M8JD
— AEK BC (@aekbcgr) April 4, 2026
Their opponents are also shorthanded, since Ante Tomic and Simon Birgander have been ruled out for the series, along with Guillem Vives. If the Greek side cannot close out the series on Tuesday at the Palau Municipal d’Esports, the winner will be decided in a winner-take-all Game 3 at the SUNEL Arena on April 15.