Memphis Grizzlies starting guard Jaylen Wells was taken by medical personnel from the court on a stretcher on Tuesday after the rookie made a fast-break dunk and landed hard on his head from a midair collision with Charlotte’s KJ Simpson.
Wells was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but “he’s doing OK, he has feeling, he’s moving around,” according to Hornets play-by-play announcer Eric Collins. Wells’ father said his son was “awake and alert” and wanted to know the score of the game before getting X-rays and a CT scan.
Wells suffered a broken right wrist, his agent told ESPN, likely ending the rookie’s season right before the Grizzlies go into the playoffs.
Wells caught an outlet pass from Ja Morant and went up to the rim, when Simpson inadvertently undercut him from behind after trying to catch up to the play. The contact caused Wells to lose his balance while in the air and land awkwardly on his side as his head slammed against the court near the baseline.
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He was down for eight minutes before being lifted onto the stretcher with his head strapped in to restrict motion.
Wells had movement in all of his extremities, interim coach Tuomas Iisalo later said.
“It puts everything into perspective seeing that situation and to see Jaylen there,” Iisalo said. “He’s an incredibly tough kid and had a great season.”
The game was delayed a total of 23 minutes, including warmup time for both teams. Officials called a Flagrant 2 foul on Simpson after a replay review for unnecessary contact, which comes with an automatic ejection. Simpson immediately bent down to check on Wells after their collision and was visibly distraught while Wells was being tended to in the silent arena.
After the game, referee Karl Lane explained why the officials decided to upgrade the foul on Simpson.
“After the review, we felt that it was unnecessary and extensive, and a reckless play by the defender to a player who is in a vulnerable position with a high potential for injury, which he did have a high potential for injury,” Lane said. “We felt that was enough for a Flagrant 2.”
A 2024 second-round draft pick out of Washington State, Wells has yet to miss a game for Memphis while starting 74 of 79 games. The 6-foot-7 Wells entered Tuesday’s game with averages of 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
The Grizzlies beat the Hornets 124-100 to move into a tie for fourth place in the crowded Western Conference race, but they could still drop as low as eighth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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