NBA star inspiring Hawk's recovery

Illawarra Hawks star Sam Froling is nearing his long-awaited return from an Achilles injury.

While the NBL25 championship winner will be the first to admit the past few months have been tough, the recovery has been made easier by sharing the experience with an NBA superstar, who is also dealing with an Achilles injury.

During an interview with CODE Sports, Hawks coach Justin Tatum, who is the father of Boston Celtics' injured six-time NBA All Star Jayson Tatum, admitted that the pair of sidelined stars have been trading motivational videos with one another.

“Jayson is a big fan of Sam because I send him videos of each other going back and forth in recovery,” Justin Tatum told CODE Sports.

“They are probably a month off in their recoveries. I send motivational films of Jayson and Sam’s progress to each player. Jayson now asks about Sam and vice versa. They haven’t met each other, but they are experiencing similar injuries and I’m the mutual person in between.

“It’s good to see two guys are really pushing each other as professionals to get back to doing what they love to do.”

Australian Boomer Froling is slated to return to the hardwood in the coming rounds.

Illawarra will look to keep their championship defence alive on Thursday when they host Brisbane from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.

‍Read the full story here >> Celtics champ inspires Frolings comeback