Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells stretchered off court vs. Hornets after scary fall

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells left Tuesday’s game against the Charlotte Hornets on a stretcher after a scary fall on a dunk attempt. His head and neck were stabilized, and he was also hooked up to oxygen before waving to the fans as he left the court.

Wells went up for a dunk with 1:12 to go in the second quarter when he was fouled by KJ Simpson. He hit the ground hard on the attempt and was motionless on the court afterward before the stretcher came out. He then left the arena via ambulance, and Simpson was called for a Flagrant 2 foul.

Because Wells went to the hospital, the game entered a delay because there was no ambulance on site and a replacement was on the way. The Grizzlies led the Hornets, 62-44, at the time and things got back underway within a few minutes.

Memphis selected Wells in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft out of Washington State. He has become a key contributor for the Grizzlies, starting 73 of 78 appearances entering Tuesday’s game while averaging 10.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a rookie.

At Washington State, Jaylen Wells put together an impressive junior season after starting his career at Sonoma State. He averaged 12.6 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 43.6% from the field, including 41.7% from three-point territory before declaring for the NBA Draft.

The Grizzlies entered Tuesday’s game with a 46-32 overall record, but shook things up in a big way last week. The franchise parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins in a move that surprised many around the NBA and promoted Tuomaos Iisalo to interim head coach ahead of the playoff push.

“I’m genuinely appreciative of Taylor’s contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons,” Grizzlies president and general manager of basketball operations Zach Kleiman said in a statement. “This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward.”

Jenkins had a 464-250 overall record in Memphis before the change and took the franchise to three playoff appearances before missing out in 2024-25. The Grizzlies entered Tuesday with a 2-3 record after the transition.