The WNBA has faced criticism this season for its physical play, especially when it comes to Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark. While hard fouls on Clark are always going to be a big story, she’s far from the only player in the league to take damage on the court.
The most gruesome injury of the WNBA season occurred Thursday’s night as the Washington Mystics took on the Las Vegas Aces. During the first quarter of the contest, Mystics guard Jade Melbourne took an elbow to the face from Aces guard Chelsey Gray as she tried to drive past a screen.
Melbourne immediately grabbed at her mouth and was forced to leave the game after losing part of her tooth.
Warning: Video of the incident is gross and features some blood.
Gray was charged with a flagrant foul after a review.
Melbourne was able to rejoin the Mystics on the bench, where she was shown with a bloodied mouth.
Despite losing Melbourne, the Mystics were able to pull out the 94-83 win. Melbourne had two points in the contest.
Following the game, Melbourne seemed pretty upbeat considering the situation. In a picture posted to teammate Georgia Amoore’s Instagram page, Melbourne can be seem flashing her bloody smile and giving two thumbs up (once again, content warning if you want to see the photo).
Mystics coach Sydney Johnson revealed after the game that Melbourne needed stitches. Johnson said he did not have the full update on Melbourne’s injury, and did not announce whether she would miss additional time due to her missing tooth.