On February 27, Charlotte defeated Detroit by a score of 117-106, and it was during the third quarter when Charlotte’s standout guard LaMelo Ball sustained his injury.
As a result of a fracture in his right ankle, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the season, as Shams Charania of The Athletic reported. The injury to Ball occurred on Monday during Charlotte’s 117-106 victory against Detroit at their home arena.
Ball completed the game with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, marking the sixth consecutive game in which he made at least five three-point shots. After suffering an injury on a play that did not include contact in the third quarter, the Hornets disclosed that X-rays indicated a fracture to their player’s right ankle after the game.
Gordon Hayward, a seasoned player for the Hornets, said that the Charlotte Hornets’ players discovered the extent of Ball’s injury after the game, with the majority of them believing that Ball had only tweaked something.
Hayward expressed dissatisfaction with the news: “It’s frustrating because he’s a huge part of our squad, and we felt like we were turning the bend.”
This season, Ball’s second ankle has been giving him trouble. He has injured his left ankle thrice, limiting him to playing in only 36 games.
This time, Ball injured his right ankle while dribbling the Ball and trying to move close to the half-court line. The Ball ended up on the ground, but we could still save it from going out of bounds. He walked away from the game and did not come back.
Ball won the Kia Rookie of the Year award for the 2020-21 season. He also had an All-Star season in 2021-22, averaging 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game.
According to Hornets head coach Steve Clifford, the duration of Ball’s absence is unknown. Although Charlotte still has 19 games to play and is out of the running for the playoffs, it isn’t easy to picture the club hurrying him back too soon.
Clifford said that the injury was caused by playing basketball, and nothing could be done about it.
