Memphis Grizzlies star Jaylen Wells took a nasty fall while being collided with midair as he dunked the ball on a fast break during Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Wells had his feet cut out from under him by Hornets guard KJ Simpson, who was assessed a flagrant foul and ejected for the contact.
Wells lied motionless on the court before being stretchered out of the arena and transported to a local hospital. He is awake, alert, and moving his extremities, per ESPN.
The rookie did sustain a broken wrist in the fall, as he is seen reaching for the ground to brace his nasty fall before being face down and motionless on the court.
Simpson did immediately check on Wells after the fall before being pushed away by Ja Morant.
Grizzlies players were seen praying and kneeling after Wells was stretchered off the court, while the franchise’s broadcasters were speechless on the air.
Memphis Grizzlies star Jaylen Wells took a nasty fall while being collided with midair
Wells had his feet cut out from under him by Hornets guard KJ Simpson, who was ejected
Wells lied motionless on the court before being transported to a local hospital on Tuesday
Even if Simpson’s contact was inadvertent, he will likely have a hearing with the NBA about supplemental discipline for the foul. A suspension is absolutely on the table for contact of this kind.
Jaylen’s father, Fred Wells, gave the first update on his son’s condition, saying he wanted to know the score of the game from the hospital.
Fred Wells also said his son had a swollen wrist as well as face, jaw, and back pain.
Jaylen shared a picture from his hospital bed, still in his No 0 Grizzlies jersey with a massive cut on the left side of his face. He also has his left wrist in a cast while looking a bit dazed.
All things considered, Jaylen may be lucky with a fall of that magnitude that his injuries were not worse.
Charlotte is one of the worst teams in the NBA, now with a record of 19-60 with the loss to the Grizzlies.
Memphis improved to 47-32 with the 124-100 victory over the Hornets. The Grizzlies are in fifth place in the Western Conference with the postseason beginning next week.
