Markelle Fultz to Miss Remainder of Summer League With Ankle Sprain

Updated 2:25 p.m.

You can exhale now.

Markelle Fultz is "OK," after suffering a lateral ankle sprain in the Sixers' Las Vegas summer league opening win vs. the Warriors Saturday night (see story).

Fultz was taken for X-rays, which came back negative. 

However, the No. 1 overall pick will miss the remainder of the summer league while dealing with the injury and is facing a 1-2 week recovery period before returning to basketball activities, the team announced Sunday.

Fultz was chasing down Golden State's Jabari Brown midway through the third quarter, but on his way up, Fultz stepped on Brown's foot. Fultz crumpled to the floor and had to be helped off with the help of teammates. 

"Can't feel great, a guy going down, actually two players going down on the same play," Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "Again, based on the initial diagnosis, you rather hear that than something worse."

On the very same play, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot suffered an upper lip laceration while defending Brown. He required stitches and did not return to the game.

The news comes as a huge relief for the Sixers and their fans. After having first-round picks Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons all miss their entire rookie seasons - Embiid sat out his first two years and Simmons has yet to play an NBA game -the Sixers' worst fears have been staved off with Fultz's diagnosis.

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