Grizzlies star Morant to miss 3-5 weeks with sprained ankle
MEMPHIS, TN – DECEMBER 23: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies dribbles towards the basket during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at FedExForum on December 23, 2020 in Memphis, Tennessee. San Antonio defeats Memphis 131-119. ( Brett Carlsen/Getty Images/AFP)
LOS ANGELES, United States – Reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant is expected to miss three to five weeks with a sprained left ankle, the Memphis Grizzlies said Tuesday.
The young Grizzlies star was hurt minutes before halftime of a win over the Brooklyn Nets, when he rose to try to block a shot by Nets forward Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and came down on Luwawu-Cabarrot’s foot.
Article continues after this advertisement“Further imaging revealed a Grad 2 ankle sprain, with an expected recovery time of three to five weeks,” the Grizzlies said in a statement.
Morant was clearly in pain as he hopped off the court, falling to the floor just beyond the baseline. He was taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.
He later returned to sit courtside with a protective boot on his injured ankle, enthusiastically encouraging teammates as they pulled off a 116-111 overtime win over the Nets.
Article continues after this advertisement“A moment like that can really test you,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said of the moment Morant went down.
The 21-year-old Morant, who had averaged 36 points in the team’s first two games of the season, sounded positive on Twitter on Tuesday, posting a picture of himself smiling during a game captioned: “i know God is working, so i smile”.
