‘I thought I was done’ Boomers star Dante Exum opens up on his incredible return from a dislocated finger

Dante Exum thought his Paris medal campaign with the Boomers was over before it started, yet the star made an incredible return to the court in Australia’s loss to Canada. He went one-on-one with MATT LOGUE to share his journey.

Dante Exum thought his Paris Olympic campaign was over when he looked down and saw his right index finger facing the other way.

Now just over a week after Exum dislocated his finger in a warm-up win over France, the Dallas Mavericks NBA star is putting aside the pain to help Australia’s quest for a podium in Paris.

The Melbourne-born guard excelled in his return from injury in Tuesday’s loss to Canada, prompting Boomers coach Brian Goorjian to hail him a “difference maker”.

Exum told this masthead he was thrilled with his comeback game given he feared he wouldn’t feature in the Paris Games due to his injured finger.

“When I saw my finger facing the other way, I thought I was done,” Exum said.

“So, just to be able to go out there and play is a big deal.

“I copped a few knocks which is going to hurt, but I’m managing it as best as possible.

“It was good to get back out there, although I wanted to win.

“I obviously didn’t play the first game and had a week out, but it felt comfortable.”

Dante Exum was fantastic upon return. Picture: AFP

Exum put aside any rust from sitting on the sidelines to provide the Australians with invaluable composure and class.

He finished with 15 points and showed no signs that his finger was holding him back.

He blasted through the paint for his first bucket, while he nailed his second shot with a silky jump shot.

Boomers veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova is excited about what Exum can produce for the Australians moving forward.

“He (Dante) didn’t miss a beat,” Dellavedova said.

“He came out super aggressive and broke their (Canada’s) pressure open.

“He could get in the paint whenever he wanted and he was massive for us.”

Exum took confidence from his return game against Canada, but he knows the boost will only feel temporary unless the Boomers can beat Greece on Friday.

A win over the Greeks will guarantee the Australians a top two finish in their pool and a quarterfinal berth.

Exum is expecting a physical and up-tempo affair against Greece and its NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“He (Giannis) is a great player,” he said.

“I’ve played against him before. We’ll have a game plan for him and what he does, but we just have to make sure we come out with the win. That’s the main thing.”

Greece 🇬🇷 tie the game with 4:30 left in Q4! 🔥

🖥️ Tune in to our watch party: https://t.co/SGNrwSEHgn#Paris2024 x #Basketballpic.twitter.com/iBNfzcEeDV

— FIBA (@FIBA) July 30, 2024

Boomers big man Jock Landale has also faced Antetokounmpo on multiple occasions throughout his time in the NBA.

The now Houston Rockets big man joked that stopping the ‘Greek Freak’ is near impossible, but the Australians will do their best to limit the Milwaukee Bucks superstar by sending multiple players at him.

“He (Giannis) is an incredible player who I’ve had the opportunity to play against and guard for the last three years in the NBA and if anyone tells you that they’ve figured it out (how to guard him) they’re probably lying,” Landale grinned.

“This Olympic Games you see the centre position is a deep position. Every night in these lead-up games we were coming up against a centre or two or three that could really play at an All-Star level in the NBA and I think that’s done a great job of preparing us for that (guarding Giannis).

“That challenge is going to be something we’re not going to rely on one person for, that’s a team effort across the board.

“Luckily we have a group of guys one through 12 that are all willing to buy in on that end of the ball and have each other’s backs and I think that really identifies us as Australians.”

WHAT THE BOOMERS NEED TO HAPPEN:

-If the Boomers beat Greece they will finish second in their group and qualify for the quarter-finals in Paris

-A Boomers loss to Greece would force a three-way tie between Australia, Greece and Spain and the final rankings would come down to points difference.

Australia is currently +12, Spain -5 and Greece -7.

-If the Boomers lose to Greece they need to lose by 9 or less and they’ll still would finish second in their pool.

If the Boomers lose by 10-17 points they’d finish third and need to hope other results go their way to progress to the quarterfinals in Paris