LaMelo Ball Suffers Apparent Injury After Running Into Courtside Fan

Less than a week after All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball made his season debut, the injury bug has struck again.

Late in the Hornets’ 125-113 home loss to the Pacers Wednesday, Ball was running toward the sideline when he stepped awkwardly on a fan sitting courtside and rolled his left ankle. The incident occurred in the final minutes of the game, and Ball was subbed out and diagnosed with a sprain. He did not return.

Prior to that point, the 21-year-old was having his best performance of the young season. He logged 37 minutes and shot 10-for-17 from the field, finishing the night with 26 points, six assists and two steals. In his first two games of the year, he shot a combined 12-for-36 (33.3%).

Ball followed up a strong debut season with an even better sophomore campaign, averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game to earn his first All-Star nod. The Hornets are off to a 4-12 start to the season—the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference—and have lost nine of their past 10 games.

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