The Eastern Conference fourth leading team Atlanta Hawks will be missing the services of the Brazilian center Tiago Splitter for the remainder of the 2015-16 NBA season.

Splitter, who will be sidelined for approximately eight months, will also miss the chance to represent his country in the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from August 5 to August 21.

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Splitter revealed on Instagram on Wednesday that he has been dealing with "severe pain" in his right hip since the start of the season.

The two-time Spanish League champion also said that he had to make the "difficult decision that involves more than this season or the Olympics dream in my country, but it reaches my personal health and my career."

On Tuesday, the Hawks, who currently have a 31-24 record, announced that the 6-foot-11 Brazilian would be missing the rest of the season after deciding to have surgery to repair his right hip.

Splitter wrote on Wednesday on Instagram that the surgery would take place on Feb. 25 in New York.

Splitter has played for a total of 311 games for the Spurs. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.8 minutes a game in the 2014-15 season before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in July 2015.

Splitter won his first NBA championship on June 15, 2014 after the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals, 4 games to 1, to spoil the Heat's goal of a three-peat.

The 31-year-old is currently averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16.1 minutes of playing time in the 36 games he played for the Hawks this season. Splitter is shooting 52.3 percent from the field and is having an 81.3 percent shooting accuracy from the foul line.

Tagstiago splitter, Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs