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Tuesday update: It’s all over for Ball. The Hornets point guard will miss the rest of the season with a fractured ankle, and Charlotte will likely be truly in the tank race now. Ball was playing well lately and was somewhat hindering the objectives of the front office in terms of getting the No. 1 pick but now the Hornets can truly bottom out.
Hornets All-Star LaMelo Ball will miss the remainder of the season with his fractured right ankle, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Ball has had multiple left ankle sprains this season before suffering the right ankle fracture on Monday night.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 28, 2023
The injury bug continues to hit the NBA this week.
The latest team to get bit by the injury bug was the Charlotte Hornets. Star guard LaMelo Ball suffered a bizarre non-contact injury in the third quarter of Monday night’s Hornets tilt against the Detroit Pistons.
While it looked like a potentially harmless fall, Ball apparently suffered a fracture on the play, according to Shams Charania. That could derail the rest of Ball’s already injury-plagued campaign.
Here’s the video:
LaMelo Ball had to leave the game after this play pic.twitter.com/mlxbWUCqUN
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) February 28, 2023
Up by 18, Ball was innocently dribbling the ball behind his back when his leg buckled and he suffered the non-contact injury. He was later taken to the locker room.
Sitting at 19-43 and the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, it’s hard to imagine that the Hornets will suit up Ball again this season — especially with the potential to land Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson if the lottery balls are in Charlotte’s favor.