GOP candidate Doug Burgum injured ahead of RNC 2024

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Doug Burgum may not be able to be part of Wednesday's Republican presidential debate after injuring himself playing basketball.

The 67-year-old North Dakota governor was taken to the emergency room and later discharged, according to a campaign source.

The extent of his injury is unknown. It's unclear whether he'd be able to stand for the two-hour debate. The candidate was playing a game up pick-up basketball with his staff.

Burgum is one of eight Republicans to qualify for the event. Wednesday would have been his opportunity to boost his name-recognition.

Former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner, is skipping Wednesday's debate.

Burgum tapped into personal sources to make sure he qualified for the event. The former software executive, who once sold a company to Microsoft, offered gift cards to smaller contributors in an effort to meet that donor threshold.