Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball is out for at least one week after MRI results confirmed he sustained a left ankle sprain in the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, the team announced Wednesday.
Ball was held out of Wednesday night’s loss against the Brooklyn Nets and will be listed as out for Friday’s game against the LA Clippers, the Hornets said. Charlotte has four games over the next week, and sits in 14th place in the Eastern Conference at 12-32.
OFFICIAL: MRI results on LaMelo Ball’s left ankle confirmed the initial diagnosis of a left ankle sprain. He will be listed as out vs. the LA Clippers on Friday, Jan. 31 and he will be reevaluated in one week.
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) January 30, 2025
Ball missed time in late December and early January with a left ankle injury, so this is not the first time he was sidelined with the issue this year.
Ball has dealt with frequent ankle problems throughout his career, having surgery on his right ankle last season. He adjusted to playing in ankle braces this season, which has helped him avoid serious injury for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
The Hornets have been riddled with injuries this season and have the second-worst record in the East. They were without breakout center Mark Williams for the first month of the season, then went on to lose forwards Grant Williams and Brandon Miller for the season. That has increased scoring opportunities for Ball, who has taken a massive leap in scoring to 28.2 points per game, ranking fourth in the NBA.
The Hornets drafted Ball with the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He was the 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year and earned an All-Star selection in 2021-22. Over his career, he’s averaged 21.2 points per season, 7.4 assists and 6.1 rebounds.
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(Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images)
