National Basketball Association

Warriors' Festus Ezeli to begin D-League rehab assignment

Published Jan. 28, 2015 7:57 p.m. ET

foxsports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Golden State Warriors backup center Festus Ezeli will begin a rehab assignment with the team's NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz before making his long-awaited return.

Golden State assigned Ezeli to the Santa Cruz Warriors on Wednesday and recalled reserve big man Ognjen Kuzmic. Santa Cruz plays at Reno on Friday and Saturday nights.

Ezeli has missed the last 16 games with a sprained left ankle. He's averaging 4.3 points and three rebounds in 11.7 minutes per game, serving primarily as Andrew Bogut's backup.