Hornets' LaMelo Ball shut down for season due to ankle injury - ESPN

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will not play again this season as he continues to rehab a right ankle injury, the team announced Wednesday.

Ball has been out since Jan. 27, when he did not play in the second game of a back-to-back. The 22-year-old missed two significant stretches of the 2023-24 season, sitting out nearly seven weeks after he sprained his right ankle in November.

In all, Ball has been limited to 58 games over the past two seasons due to a number of injuries to the same ankle.

When he is on the court, Ball has been effective despite the Hornets (18-54) missing the playoffs for the eighth straight season. He averaged a career-high 23.9 points per game this season and has been Rookie of the Year (2020-21) and an All-Star (2021-22).

Ball is under contract through the 2028-29 season after receiving a five-year designated rookie max extension in July.