The Charlotte Hornets are suddenly a team to watch in the Eastern Conference. Considered sellers heading into the trade deadline, they’ve won eight of their last ten games to move up the standings. The Hornets need franchise player LaMelo Ball to stay healthy for a serious playoff push, and new footage revealed a potential injury scare for Ball in the Hornets’ recent game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
LaMelo Ball Suffers Eye Injury in Collision
An X post featured a clip of the collision between Ball and Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee, with the caption “Lamelo and his coach collided with each other.” The footage shows Ball and Lee clashing heads while attempting to grab the basketball as it was going out of bounds. The collision left Ball with a cut around his right eyelid.
Lamelo and his coach collided with each otherpic.twitter.com/qrJ2Xu2n0y
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) February 2, 2026
While Ball was evaluated in the locker room, it appears he avoided suffering a major injury, such as a concussion. The electric point guard’s injury struggles are well-documented, with his ankles a common source of frustration. Ball has suffered multiple ankle sprains in his early NBA career, as well as a right ankle fracture in 2023.
Ball wears ankle braces to help provide extra support and cushion in hopes of staying healthy. Ball also missed significant time during his rookie season in 2021 after fracturing his right wrist. The Hornets have taken steps to protect their investment in Ball by bringing him off the bench a few times this season to maximize his minutes while also preventing injuries.
The one-time All-Star is averaging 19 points and 7.6 assists per game this season, while shooting 40.6% from the field and 36.9% from three. While Ball is having his lowest scoring season since his rookie year, he has arguably his most productive supporting cast. Ball has a career high +4.6 plus/minus rating and a career high +6.9 net rating this season.
Rookie wing Kon Knueppel has been a revelation and one of the clear front-runners for Rookie of the Year. While Knueppel’s three-point shooting is a perfect fit next to Ball, he’s also shown that he can take over games, and they can run the offense through him in big moments.
2023 second overall pick Brandon Miller is also having a breakout season, averaging 20.8 points per game. There were rumors earlier in the season that the Hornets could trade Ball, but given this hot stretch, those talks may be off the table for now. Regardless, the Hornets organization is certainly pleased that Ball avoided another significant injury.
