LaMelo Ball, the star guard for the Charlotte Hornets, has suffered yet another injury setback in his third NBA season. During a game against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, Ball fractured his right ankle while attempting a crossover dribble against guard Killian Hayes. He appeared to land awkwardly on his right foot and was heard saying, “It popped. I heard it pop.” As a result, Ball will not be playing against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, and updates on his status will be provided later.
This is not the first time Ball has experienced an injury during his NBA career. He sustained a Grade 2 sprain in his left ankle, making him unavailable for the first 13 games of the 2021-22 regular season when Wizards player Anthony Gill stepped on that area. Just three games after his return, he aggravated the same left ankle by trying to save a ball from going out of bounds and stepping on a fan’s foot, which kept him out of the lineup for another month.
Similarly to that second injury, Ball’s fractured ankle on Monday night occurred during a productive game for the 21-year-old. He had connected on six 3-pointers and compiled 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting, adding five assists and six rebounds. Despite the injury, the Hornets still managed to defeat the Pistons 117-106.
Hornets forward Gordon Hayward called the injury disappointing because “he’s a major part of our team and we felt like we were rounding the corner.” Meanwhile, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said, “It’s just a basketball ankle, and there is nothing that you can do about that.”
The Hornets, who are 23 games under .500 and 14th place in the Eastern Conference, are not in a position for a spot in the play-in tournament. Ball has averaged a career-high 23.4 points per game this year, one season after making his first All-Star Game and starting 75 games.
»LaMelo Ball suffers another injury setback in his third NBA season«
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