Cavs excuse Ante Zizic so he can return to Croatia for World Cup final

On Sunday, Croatia has a chance to win its first World Cup when it plays France. And Cavs center Ante Zizic, a native of Split, Croatia, will be at home when it happens.

The Cavs, as first reported by cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, have excused Zizic from summer league play so he can return to Croatia and be with his family for the final. He left Las Vegas on Friday. Cleveland next plays on Saturday against the Rockets and would play again on Sunday afternoon if it wins. With the semifinals scheduled for Monday and the final scheduled for Tuesday, Zizic’s summer league is over.

Zizic had a strong summer league performance in Las Vegas. leading the team in both scoring (20.5 points) and rebounding (12.5 per game) in his two games. He missed one game this week.

Per cleveland.com, Zizic has not been home to Croatia in 11 months. The Cavs acquired him last August.