The Golden State Warriors will be without backup center Jermaine O’Neal for Sunday’s game in Toronto because of a passport issue.
According to Warriors coach Mark Jackson, O’Neal’s passport is either lost or missing, so he was unable to enter Canada, Raptors reporter Holly MacKenzie says. The issue wasn’t discovered until Saturday, the day before the team’s game, according to Warriors beat reporter Diamond Leung.
O’Neal averages nearly 21 minutes per game for the Dubs and has actually been a factor in the last handful of games.
Two weeks ago he made a game-saving block against the Houston Rockets and posed like a champ after his victory:
Though a player having a passport issue seems menial and silly, it actually is a common thing in sports. Two years ago a Cavaliers player missed a game against the Raptors because of a passport problem. Ryan Dempster had the same thing and missed a start against the Blue Jays.
