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LaMelo Ball Leaves Game Against Lakers With Ankle Injury
Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.
All posts by Vivek JacobUpdated27 Jan 2025
LaMelo Ball left the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night with an apparent ankle injury.
The Charlotte Hornets confirmed he would not be returning to the game.
Ball suffered the injury just three minutes into the second quarter. As he backpedaled after hitting a three-pointer, Ball accidentally landed on Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt’s foot and tweaked his left ankle.
When the 23-year-old got up after hitting the floor hard, he committed an intentional foul to stop play and headed straight for the locker room. He had seven points in nine minutes of action.
The Lakers went on to win 112-107 as Anthony Davis put up a monster performance of 42 points, 23 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.
Replay of LaMelo Ball rolling his left ankle while backpedaling after hitting a 3. pic.twitter.com/tCx6MBzGuE
— /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) January 28, 2025
Ball Breakout Campaign
The Hornets point guard is in the midst of a breakout year, averaging 28.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.4 steals. The scoring average is a career-high, five points up from his previous best.
Ball has played in 31 of Charlotte’s 43 games so far this season and led East guards in All-Star fan voting. He missed out on a starting spot for the big game by virtue of player and media voting.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson were announced as the starting backcourt for the East last Thursday.
Ball Ankle Injury History
The dynamic point guard has a history of ankle injuries and has been wearing ankle braces to help protect himself. Ball played in just 22 games last season and 36 the season before.
The majority of Ball’s ankle injuries to this point have been to his right ankle.
Charlotte as a team have had a torrid time dealing with injuries, with both Brandon Miller and Grant Williams already ruled out for the season. Tre Mann also remains out without a timetable while Mark Williams returned from injury not too long ago.
