A Los Angeles Lakers star suffered an injury to his hand that was so horrific that his Oklahoma City Thunder rivals recoiled in horror and shielded their eyes.
Jarred Vanderbilt, a forward on the Lakers, went up to attempt to block a shot from Thunder star Chet Holmgren on Tuesday evening.
In the process, Vanderbilt dislocated his pinky finger – causing him to scream out in pain from the injury.
Lakers coach JJ Redick admitted, ‘I had to go check on him because it just looked bad. I mean, he was audibly screaming, and you knew he had done something.’
After the ‘freak injury’ occurred, Vanderbilt was seen doubled over in pain in front of Oklahoma City’s bench.
When players got their eyes on his finger, they were visibly distressed and turned their eyes away from the injury.
Lakers star Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a gruesome dislocation to his pinky finger
Vanderbilt dislocated his finger on an attempt to block a shot from Thunder star Chet Holmgren
Thunder stars who saw Vanderbilt’s injury turned their heads in horror as his bone poked out
ESPN reported that Vanderbilt required stitches due to the dislocated finger breaking through his skin.
He was ruled out for the rest of the game and was spotted in the locker room after the proceedings with a bandage around his finger.
After the Lakers lost the game 108-90, Redick described Vanderbilt as being ‘in as good of spirits as you can be in this situation, obviously frustrated with what happened.’
‘He’s tough as nails,’ said teammate LeBron James. ‘If Vando was in pain, then something actually really happened. So, it sucks.’
While dislocations typically don’t result in missed time, his bone breaking skin could lead to an extended absence.
Even though Vanderbilt is not a top producer for the Lakers, his injury comes at a time where Los Angeles is playing without star Luka Doncic due to a hamstring strain. Additionally, guard Austin Reaves only recently returned from a strain to his oblique muscles.
The Lakers will need to be at their best to knock off the defending champion Thunder. Their next chance at redemption comes in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday.
