Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to return to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup on Wednesday, marking 11 missed games after he was struck by a vehicle in Center City, Philadelphia last month. The Philadelphia police are still investigating the situation, and while Oubre isn't going into specifics about the incident, he took issue with people who are questioning his recollection of events.
"This was and is a very traumatic situation for me and my family," Oubre told reporters on Monday. "So, I just wish that my life wasn't like 'The Truman Show' where everybody kind of watched it and have their own opinion about my life."
Oubre was walking near his home in Philadelphia on Nov. 11 when a motor vehicle struck him, causing him to sustain a broken rib, as well as several bruises and cuts. Philadelphia police said Oubre was hit in the chest by a vehicle that was traveling at a high speed. The suspected car then fled the scene after the incident. After reviewing video footage from cameras in the area where Oubre said it happened, the police have yet to find video evidence of the incident.
"This is very hard for us to have to deal with and for me to miss being on the court which keeps me sane, and a lot of people were very inconsiderate and insensitive to try to worry about video cameras," Oubre said. "So yeah, I mean, I'm just really blessed that it wasn't worse than what it is and I'm able to come back to work and smile and walk and talk and breathe. So yeah, that's just what I have to say about the conspiracy theorists."
As far as getting into specifics about the incident, Oubre declined to go there.
"First and foremost before anything, I want to say thank you to my family, my friends, the 76ers organization, especially coach Nurse for the utmost support throughout this whole process," Oubre said. "But I've spoken to the police about the situation and they have an ongoing investigation. So I've spoken to who I need to speak to about it and I'll keep it with that the way that is. I won't be speaking on any details about that because they are looking into it."
Prior to the incident, Oubre was off to a solid start with the Sixers. He was averaging 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 37.8% from deep. The Sixers will also be thrilled to have him back after going 5-6 in the games that he missed.
