'This stinks': NBA rocked by 'brutal' LaMelo Ball injury
The Charlotte Hornets announced on Monday that rookie LaMelo Ball has a broken bone in his right wrist.
Ball suffered the injury during Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. An MRI on Sunday confirmed the initial diagnosis of a broken bone, according to the Hornets.
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The team listed Ball as out indefinitely, and ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Ball is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Ball appeared to suffer the injury early in Sunday's game. He returned to the game before leaving for good in the fourth quarter.
"It looked to me like he was having some discomfort there so I took him out," Hornets coach James Borrego said Saturday, per Hornets reporter Rod Boone.
Ball has been a sensation since joining the Hornets as the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA draft, surpassing lofty expectations while taking the lead in the Rookie of the Year race.
Through 41 games, Ball was averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds. He quickly dispelled early concerns about his shooting and is connecting on 45.1% of his field goals and 37.5% of his 3-point attempts.
Here is the play where LaMelo Ball fractured his right wrist ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MO1NdpAIUu
— FOX Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnFSSE) March 22, 2021
His arrival helped lift a Hornets team that finished 23-42 last season to a 20-21 record in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.
Ball's looming absence is a big blow to the Hornets and the NBA as Ball projects as one of the league's next stars.
The NBA world was disappointed at the news of Ball's injury, many taking to social media to lament the news.
Brutal news...After a great start to his NBA career, Lamelo Ball is expected to miss the rest of the season. He was on pace for 'Rookie of the Year' #Hornets https://t.co/2hAjVAhlx2
— Dan Vasko (@danvasko) March 22, 2021
LaMelo Ball maybe missing the entire rest of the season is just such a bummer. Hate it for him, hate it for Charlotte, hate it for fans across the NBA who’ve gotten to groove with the Hornets on League Pass. Just...yep, stinks. https://t.co/0QWcwFr25e
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) March 22, 2021
In all seriousness, this stinks.
LaMelo Ball is such a joy to watch. What a colossal bummer.— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) March 22, 2021
LaMelo Ball being out for the year is a blow to the NBA. Injuries are apart of the game but the young fella had Charlotte rockin!
Get well soon!— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) March 22, 2021
That’s such a huge bummer for LaMelo Ball man. He and the Hornets have just been a delight to watch this year
— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) March 22, 2021
Injured Lebron indefinitely out of NBA
The Los Angeles Lakers lost more than the game to the Atlanta Hawks, LeBron James limping from the court with an ankle injury and no immediate prospect of a return to the NBA.
Atlanta's Solomon Hill was attempting a steal when he collided with James in the second quarter, forcing one of the league's most dominant players to collapse in pain en route to his side's 99-94 defeat.
Two hours after the game, the Lakers announced that James is out indefinitely.
The defending NBA champions already are without All-NBA big man Anthony Davis, who has missed 14 consecutive games with a right calf injury and likely won't play again until April.
"Nothing angers and saddens me more than not being available to and for my teammates!" James tweeted later Saturday.
"I'm hurt inside and out right now. The road back from recovery begins now. Back soon like I never left."
The injuries could hit the defending champions hard, with Los Angeles currently third in the Western Conference but only 2.5 games ahead of the sixth-placed Charlotte Hornets as the regular season enters its final month.
With AAP
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