The Philadelphia 76ers drafted Markell Fultz with the first overall pick in 2017. Coming off of a successful collegiate career with the Washington Huskies, lasting a single season, there were very high expectations from his impact on the 76ers game and performance in the 2017-18 season. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury forced him to sit out the majority of the season, and he only played 14 games and played 18 minutes on average. In these limited games, he did however, become the youngest player in the history of the NBA to record a triple-double.
He was traded by the 76ers to Orlando Magic during the 2018/19 season in return for Jonathan Simmons, a first round pick from OKC Thunder and second round pick from the Cavaliers. In the 2022/23 season, Fultz played 60 games with the Magic. He averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game, shooting 51.4% from the field, including 31.0% from deep. He also had a strong start to the 2023/24 season so far, averaging 11.0 points per game in 4 games.
Besides the NBA, Fultz had also won a gold medal for Team USA at the 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Chile.
Markelle Fultz’s Shoulder Injury
Markelle Fultz suffered from a shoulder injury in his rookie season with the 76ers. It was named as a “scapular muscle imbalance” at the time which limited to shoot from the field and prevented him from attempting three-pointers in games which culminated in team management deciding to seat him until he got better. At the time, there were also discussions regarding whether his issues were physical or psychological in origin. Later, it was discovered that he suffered from the neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.
What syndrome did Markelle Fultz have?
Markelee Fultz suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome, thereby leading to his shoulder problems. As per Jeff Stotts, it is an impingement problem with either the blood vessels or the nerves in the region of the shoulder girdle where the clavicle and first rib meet each other.
In the case of Markelle Fultz, the problem was neurogenic which meant that the nerves were impinged. It is also one of the most common forms of thoracic outlet syndrome suffered by athletes. Consequently, he faced shoulder problems which caused him to have issues with his shooting skills, and was eventually forced to develop a new shooting form which drastically changed his playing style.
FAQs
A. Markelle Fultz is presently 25 years old as of November 2023.
A. Markelle Fultz suffered from a neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome.
A. Markelle Fultz’s height is 6 '3 " and his weight is 94 kg (2019 lbs).
A. Markelle Fultz has been wearing jersey number 20 for both the 76ers and the Magic.
A. In the 2022/23 season, Markelle Fultz averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game throughout 60 games.
