Auburn player suffers grisly injury against South Carolina

Auburn men’s basketball star Anfernee McLemore suffered a gruesome injury, apparently to his ankle, on Saturday in the first half against South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena.

The injury occurred just before halftime, with the Gamecocks up 46-23 and 1:23 left before the break. After a missed free throw, McLemore went up for a defensive rebound and came down awkwardly, seemingly not on any other player. The injury was immediately visible on television, with McLemore’s ankle pointing in the wrong direction.

ESPN reporter Jeff Goodman reported on Twitter that McLemore dislocated his ankle and was being transported directly to a local hospital.

McLemore himself tweeted after the game that he had dislocated his ankle, fractured his tibia and torn several ligaments, and said his recovery would take four to six months.

McLemore’s ankle was wrapped in a cast on the court and he was taken out on a stretcher, but not before South Carolina coach Frank Martin crossed the floor to hold his hand. The crowd at Colonial Life Arena applauded as McLemore’s stretcher was taken off the floor, and he raised his hand in acknowledgment.

This story was originally published February 17, 2018 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Auburn player suffers grisly injury against South Carolina."