Andrei Kirilenko had promised he would join Russia to play the World Championship, but things do not always go as expected. The undisputed star of the national team could be forced to skip the tournament in late August because of recent injuries and his team, the Utah Jazz. The power forward had a tough season bothered with physical difficulties and the Jazz are not willing to risk one of their most important players. The team has already made Kirilenko know they totally oppose his participation. In this scenario the 29-year-old wants to keep good relations with the team, as his contract expires next season and he's willing to stay.If going by his club, Kirilenko will miss his second straight international competition, as he also skipped Eurobasket last year, with Russia finishing 7th in the standings and failing to retain the title.
Russia will be in group C of the tournament, alongside Puerto Rico, Greece, China, Ivory Coast and Turkey.
UPDATE: Kirilenko will not play.
Source: sovsport.ru
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