Watch: Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells leaves on stretcher after scary fall
Memphis Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells left Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets on a stretcher after taking a horrible fall following a flagrant foul by KJ Simpson.
A hush fell over the arena as Wells lay motionless for several minutes after going down late in the first half at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wells, a 21-year-old Sacramento native who starred at Folsom High School, was wheeled off the floor on a stretcher and transported to a hospital for treatment.
Wells’ father, Fred Wells, provided an update on his son’s condition via social media.
“Jaylen is awake and alert,” he tweeted. “Wanted 2 know the score! Swollen wrist. Face, jaw and back pain. About to get X-ray and CT.”
PNW Sports Group, the agency that represents Wells, told The Sacramento Bee that Wells suffered a broken right wrist.
Wells took a head-first fall when he was undercut by Simpson on a dunk with 1:10 to play in the first half of Tuesday’s game against the Hornets. Simpson was ejected after officials upgraded the call to a flagrant 2 foul due to “unnecessary and excessive contact with a high potential of injury.”
Wells emerged as a Rookie of the Year candidate this season after coming out of Washington State as the 39th overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. He has started 73 of 78 games for the Grizzlies, averaging 10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 35.5% from 3-point range.
Wells was The Sacramento Bee’s All-Metro Player of the Year after averaging 26.3 points per game as a senior at Folsom. He transferred to Washington State after being named California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year during his sophomore season at Sonoma State.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM.
