CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball's season is officially over.
The Charlotte Hornets announced that the third-year point guard underwent surgery on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time) to repair a fracture in his right ankle and will miss the remainder of the season. Ball was injured in Charlotte's victory Monday night over the Detroit Pistons.
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The 21-year-old Ball was limited to 36 games this season. He sprained his left ankle three times, costing him 27 games.
He averaged 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 35.2 minutes. He was playing particularly well during the Hornets' five-game win streak, making at least five 3-pointers in each of those games while shooting 47.3% (27 of 57) from beyond the arc.
The Hornets said Ball is expected to make a full recovery and that further updates will be provided as appropriate.
The third overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft has appeared in 162 games during his career, averaging 19.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 31.8 minutes. He was the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 2021 and an All-Star in 2022.
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