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24-year-old Akil Mitchell suffered an incredible, unexpected injury during his game last Thursday. Mitchell, a player for the New Zealand Breakers, was going up for a rebound when he suffered a terrifying eye injury.
Mitchell was, supposedly, poked in the face by Cairns center Nnanna Egwu. The poke wasn’t as innocuous as it seemed.
Immediately after the incident, Mitchell fell to the floor with his hands against his face. It’s hard to tell for a moment, what has happened, but then he raises his head
The footage is blurry, but it’s clear: Mitchell’s left eyeball had been popped out of its socket.
The commentators are so stunned, they have no idea how to respond for a few seconds. Then, they immediately call for an emergency vehicle.
Players from both teams clustered around Mitchell in concern.
Mitchell was ultimately treated for about 15 minutes while on the court, then moved to the hospital for further treatment.
Although it’s only been a day since the injury, Mitchell is already in better spirits. He tweeted several hours after the game, reassuring his fans that he was still able to see and that he’d be fine after a longer time to recover.
The general manager of the New Zealand Breakers also said, “While there is some damage, the early reports are very positive that the injury is not as serious as first feared.”
We’re glad to hear that Mitchell is doing much better – even if his eyes will potentially veer off in different directions now…
