CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets will have to go the rest of the season without their highest-scoring player.
On Tuesday, the team announced that LaMelo Ball underwent surgery to address a fracture in his right ankle. Ball will miss the rest of the season after undergoing the successful surgery, according to the team.
Ball fractured his right ankle in the third quarter of Charlotte's win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday. He has missed over 25 games this season due to injuries on his left ankle.
Despite his absent stints, Ball has been a top contributor for the Hornets this season. Ball leads the current roster in points per game (23.3), assists per game (8.4), and rebounds per game (6.4). Mason Plumlee had 9.7 rebounds per game, but he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in February.
Ball was drafted by Charlotte with the third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and has become a phenom in the league.
Ball made the 2022 NBA All-Star squad and averaged over 20 points per game for the season.
In February, Ball became the second-youngest player to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists, trailing only LeBron James.
Without Ball, the Hornets (20-43) will look to Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre Jr., among others, to get the scoring going.
Charlotte takes on the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at the Spectrum Center.
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