The injury-prone label is not leaving LaMelo Ball any time soon.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported Wednesday that the Charlotte Hornets star point guard Ball will be re-evaluated in one week due to a left ankle sprain. Ball suffered the sprain during Monday’s loss to the L.A. Lakers.
In the first half of that game, Ball was backpedaling after hitting a three-pointer and turned his ankle when he stepped on the foot of Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt. Ball exited the contest and did not return as the Hornets went on to lose 112-107.
![LaMelo Ball gesturing](https://larrybrownsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/lamelo-ball-hornets-800x450.jpg)
: LaMelo tweaked his ankle while slowly back paddling near Jarred Vanderbilt right after hitting a 3 pointer. pic.twitter.com/r21QrUjfbC
— NFTs (@igotnftsmedia) January 28, 2025
Still only 23 years old, Ball has battled chronic ankle injuries for much of his NBA career to this point (even making a major change last offseason to help protect his ankles). But Ball, who is averaging a career-high 28.2 points per game this season, saw his bad luck with ankle issues recur this week. With the NBA All-Star break coming up in roughly two weeks, the 12-32 Hornets could opt to be cautious here and hold Ball out until the second half of the season begins.