The curse of the 76ers big men continued Friday night.
Just hours after the team announced first-round pick Jahlil Okafor would miss the remainder of the season with a meniscus tear, Robert Covington was taken off the court on a stretcher after being kicked in the face by teammate Jerami Grant during the third quarter of Philadelphia’s 95-89 victory over the Nets.
Robert Covington got kicked in the jaw 😱😫😱😫 #Sixers #Nets #NBA pic.twitter.com/aOs2tKk9jM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) March 12, 2016
Covington was transported to a local hospital for evaluation of a potential neck injury.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said the reaction was "precautionary stuff," but Covington's teammates were understandably concerned.
“That’s our brother, that’s our teammate,” Sixers rookie Richaun Holmes said (via CSN Philly). “You know he’s going to be OK, but you never want to see anything like that, especially somebody you’re so close with. It’s scary. … At the end of the day you’ve still got to play. So that’s the tough part. When somebody goes down like that, having to go back out there and play. That’s pretty tough mentally.”
Grant went up to contest a shot by Brooklyn’s Donald Sloan, but Sloan dumped the ball off to Thaddeus Young under the basket. As Grant toppled over Sloan, his right foot whipped into the air and caught Covington in the face. Four players were left ailing on the floor.
Grant was evaluated for a concussion, while Covington was wheeled out of the arena. He did acknowledge the crowd as he went through the tunnel.
Covington, a third-year forward out of Tennessee State, is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in 56 games this season for Philadelphia.