In his first game as a Trail Blazer, Cody Zeller took a hard hit to his face from Andre Iguodala, leaving the 29-year-old center with a bloody nose in his team’s preseason loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The collision occurred as Iguodala came down after a dunk with Zeller underneath the basket. The elbow of the Warriors forward caught Zeller directly in the nose. Iguodala immediately winced as Zeller walked towards the bench for medical assistance.
Zeller, who came to Portland after eight seasons in Charlotte with the Hornets, celebrated his 29th birthday on Tuesday. In good spirits, Zeller joked about the incident taking place the night before his birthday on his Instagram story.
“Happy birthday to me,” Zeller wrote over a selfie of his face covered in blood.
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters he’s “pretty sure” Zeller’s nose was broken during the incident.
Portland has yet to release an official update regarding the condition of Zeller’s nose.