Lakers' Darius Bazley Leaves Court in Wheelchair After Gruesome Knee Injury

This one isn't for the squeamish. Los Angeles Lakers player Darius Bazley suffered a gruesome knee injury that left him unable to leave the court on his own.

Darius and his Lakers teammates took the court Thursday, July 17, in NBA Summer League action against the Boston Celtics. Check out the gnarly video, down four points in the second quarter, Bazley makes a move to the net when things get really bad.

It appears the hooper's right knee buckles or pops, sending him straight to the floor, writhing in pain as the referee blew his whistle and play stopped.

Lakers medical staff quickly gathered around Bazley, working to determine the severity of his injury, but nonetheless, he was unable to leave the court on his own, getting taken off in a wheelchair and in some serious pain.

The total extent of Bazley's injury has not yet been released, but it may have had an impact on the rest of his Lakers teammates, as the squad ended up losing Thursday's game to the Celtics by a final score of 87-78.

Bazley was drafted with the 23rd pick by the Utah Jazz in 2019, but was immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies and then to the Oklahoma City Thunder where he spent four seasons seeing limited time on the court, Bazley was then traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2023. He's since bounced around several different pro ball rosters.

It was early July when the Lakers announced Bazley was going to be a part of the team's Summer League squad, joining Bronny James and company.

If it's as bad as it looks, the injury is especially disappointing for Bazley, who recently told reporters, "It’s fun for me in a way because I’m on a mission ... to try and revamp my career, get back, just prove I belong out there and that I can help the team contribute to winning.”