Pistons’ Jaden Ivey suffered a serious injury that was hidden from the public

Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey suffered such a horrific leg injury on Wednesday, January 1, that his teammates took care to keep it hidden from the fans in attendance.

In the fourth quarter of the Pistons’ game against the Orlando Magic at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Wednesday, 22-year-old Ivey’s left leg became trapped under the Magic’s. Cole Anthony as both players chased down a loose ball.

Ivey immediately lay on the ground in utter fear as he was attended to by the Pistons’ medical staff. Finally, one of Ivey’s teammates grabbed a towel from the bench to cover his leg and the rest of the team formed a circle around him.

There was a stretcher used to transport Ivey from the field as the arena watched in hushed silence. Ivey’s teammate, Ausar Thompsonwas seen wiping away tears.

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Sources told ESPN on Thursday, Jan. 2 that Ivey had suffered a broken fibula in his left leg and would likely miss the remainder of the season.

“It’s difficult. It’s tough for all of us,” the Pistons head coach said J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game. “There is no better teammate, person than JI. No one cares about this thing more than him. It’s hard to watch.”

Bickerstaff, 45, added: “The core of this team, and what we’ve tried to preach all year since we’ve been here, is togetherness. When one man goes down, you don’t want to let that man down, so everyone has to stand up. Again, it’s the emotions, it’s the human aspect of it, but I thought our guys did a really good job of just sticking together and getting it done.

Pistons star Cade Cunningham said Ivey’s injury was “tough for the entire group.”

“To see him in pain like this is tough for us,” Cunningham, 23, told reporters. “He’s built for it, he’ll shake back when he knows him. He’s going to give his best and he’ll be better than ever when he comes back. It’s hard to see that, that’s for sure.”

After the injury occurred, Cunningham explained that he gathered the team for “a prayer.”

“I just wanted to get together and talk about it and make sure everyone was on the same page about what we needed to do from that point on,” Cunningham said.

Ivey, who was selected by the Pistons with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.

The Pistons return to action on Friday, January 3 against the Charlotte Hornets.