Jalen Suggs suffered a serious back injury on Friday.
In the second quarter of a game against the Toronto Raptors, the Orlando Magic guard suffered what appeared to be a non-contact back injury while diving for the ball on defense. He remained on the ground for more than a minute before being placed in a wheelchair.
Suggs, who was in visible pain the entire time, walked off the court to applause from the crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
Suggs was in his fourth NBA season and was enjoying career highs in points (16.8 per game), rebounds (4.2) and minutes (29.5) this season as of Friday. The former fifth overall pick has built a reputation as a standout defender, earning second-team NBA All-Defense honors last season. He has missed time in the past due to thumb and ankle injuries, but has no known history of back problems.
The Magic entered the game against the Raptors fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 20-15 record, but could now be without Suggs for a significant amount of time.