DrFormer German basketball player Sean Bradley was seriously injured in a bike accident in the United States a few weeks ago. The Dallas Mavericks, who played with Bradley from 1997 to 2005, also announced in a press release Wednesday evening that the 48-year-old suffered a spinal cord injury while paraplegic.

“Sad news in the evening: We are thinking of you, Sean, we wish you the best possible recovery and the strength of your family in everything that is coming,” the German Basketball Association tweeted. Bradley played with teammate Dirk Nowitzki at the 2001 European Championships and is his fourth there. After that he was no longer a candidate for the national team. He played a total of nine games. Bradley was born in Landstuhl to a German mother and a former American soldier, which is why he holds dual American and German citizenships.

According to the Mavericks, whose 2.29-meter Bradley also played star Dirk Nowitzki, the accident happened on January 20 in his hometown of St.George, Utah, when a car hit him from behind. After undergoing surgery, he has spent the past eight weeks in the hospital and has begun rehabilitation there. The letter states that the doctors have told him it will be a long and arduous journey.

Bradley is in a good mood. He plans to increase public awareness of the safety of cyclists in road traffic after the accident. Bradley doesn’t want to make any other public statements. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was also reported to be seriously injured. “We wish him all the best for his recovery,” he said. Bradley moved to the NBA in North America in 1993. He initially played for the Philadelphia 76ers before joining the Jersey Nets in 1995 and Dallas two years later.