During Tuesday night's game at Spectrum Center, Memphis Grizzlies' rookie Jaylen Wells sustained a serious injury after falling hard on the court during a collision with Charlotte Hornets player Simpson. As reported by Commercial Appeal, Wells was chasing a breakaway dunk when Simpson, trailing from behind, undercut him, resulting in Wells landing severely and causing the game to pause for his medical evacuation.
The silence of concern filled the arena as both teams watched medical personnel place Wells onto a stretcher, a moment of unity in the face of adversity ensued with Grizzlies players and coaches coming together in a prayerful huddle. ESPN later disclosed that Wells was "awake, alert and moving his extremities," according to the information they had gathered, however, he did break his right wrist and also sustained a facial laceration, as evidenced by an Instagram story posted by the rookie himself, the injury marred what was to become a decisive victory for Memphis as they dominated the game beating the Hornets 124-100, despite having lost one of their own to injury, the Grizzlies managed to seal the deal with a solid performance.
Reflecting on the incident, Grizzlies' star Ja Morant expressed his initial shock to NBA.com: "It’s tough. I threw the pass and turned around and was doing our little touchdown celebration. When I got there, the first thing I saw was blood, and I’ve got a weak stomach." A sentiment of resilience echoed by the team, with Morant adding, "We’ve just got to stay with him and keep praying for him. It’s next man up. Obviously that hurts. Guys will just have to be ready."
The severity of the play led to official review and the subsequent decision to charge Simpson with a post-play Flagrant 2 foul which entails an automatic ejection from the game, a detail confirmed by multiple outlets including WBTV.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}