No Dunks’ Tas Melas recovering from fractured skull and brain bleed after being struck by vehicle

One of sports blogging’s most well-known figures is facing serious health challenges after being struck by a vehicle. Since 2006, Tas Melas has been a key part of the NBA show variously known as The Basketball Jones, The Starters, and since 2019, No Dunks. That show, currently on The Athletic’s podcast network following stints with NBA TV and The Score and its independent beginnings, has been one of the most notable and consistent pieces of not just the basketball landscape, but the sports blogging landscape/

And Melas has been a key part of the show for all that time. (And even before that, he worked with and hung out with long-time No Dunks figures J.E. Skeets and Jason “JD” Doyle and past figure Matt Osten while they all attended the then-Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University). But as No Dunks‘ J.E. Skeets and Trey Kerby announced at the start of their show Wednesday, Melas remains in an intensive care unit after being struck by a vehicle last Wednesday:

“We’re missing a key member of the team here, and there’s no way to sugarcoat this news, so please bear with me, bear with us, here as we fill you in on where our guy Tas is. Last Wednesday, Tas was struck by a vehicle while he was walking on foot outside the Braves’ stadium. Now, his main injuries, they’re severe, they’re concerning. He’s got brain bleeds, fracture of the skull, fracture of the face.”

“He’s getting the best treatment here in Atlanta possible. And while everything is still day-to-day, he has shown some positive progress already in the span of a week, because this guy, he’s Tas Melas, he’s a stubborn mother. In fact, we even learned last night that he’s been moved already out of the ICU, which is a huge step forward.

“You guys already had the chance to see him, I’m going later today, I was out of the country for a while.” But yeah, it was obviously a gut punch to all of us, I’m sure to you listeners and viewers right now. Wild, wild stuff.”

“I know you guys, again, you saw him, and this is going to be very likely a long recovery here. Because these are severe injuries, like I said. But he’s already making the steps forward here.”

Kerby then responds “Yeah, he’s stable, he’s alert, he’s responsive, he can move, he can get up, he’s been eating, he’s talkative. Like you’re saying, Skeets, we don’t have any sort of timeline for a return. And we’re just all being optimistic and hoping and praying for the best. Like you’ve said, we’ve seen a little bit of progress in the week since it’s happened.”

Kerby is organizing a fundraiser for support for Melas and his family at GoFundMe, with that set to help the family as needed and any excess to go to charity. Through two hours, that had raised almost $4,000 U.S., well above its $100 goal.

Melas has been a crucial figure for The Basketball Jones/The Starters/No Dunks since the beginning, and a vital part of the sports blogging community. Our thoughts go out to him, his family, the No Dunks crew, and all of his friends. We wish him the best with his recovery.

[No Dunks, Trey Kerby on GoFundMe]