What happened to Grant Williams? Closer look at Hornets forward's season ending injury

Charlotte Hornets veteran Grant Williams was hit with terrible news 16 games into the season. The forward suffered a season-ending tear to his ACL, meniscus and associated ligaments in his right knee, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Sunday.

Williams joined the Hornets at the 2024 trade deadline in a move from the Dallas Mavericks, joining a team with plenty of young faces, including LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

After stops in Boston and Dallas, he joined a new team hoping to help them compete at the highest level. In 2023, he signed a four-year, $54 million contract with the Mavericks. Months later, the Mavs swapped Williams for P.J. Washington and two second-round picks.

At the time of the injury, Grant Williams averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He picked up the injury late in the fourth quarter of the Hornets' 125-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday night.

The Hornets boast a 6-10 record after losing to the Bucks on Saturday, but that wasn't the only loss they suffered. Losing Williams is a major blow to their aspirations, more so after they've lost three of their last five games.

NBA fans react to Grant Williams' season-ending injury

After learning about the news, NBA fans quickly reacted to it, with some calling out the Milwaukee Bucks commentators for saying Grant Williams flopped during the play when he got injured.

"Commentators said he was flopping btw 😭," one fan said.

"Bucks announcer said he was “flopping” on this injury btw…." another fan said.

"The bucks announcers were laughing at him for “flopping” when he tore his acl. Hopefully they feel like assholes rn," another fan said.

Others lamented that the Hornets, especially their centers, can't have an injury-free season.

"not a position group more cursed than charlotte centers in the nba 💔💔💔💔," one fan wrote.

The Charlotte Hornets had renewed expectations coming into the season. Grant Williams was brought in to try to make this squad a playoff contender, but the season hasn't started well.

Charlotte has a good core with Ball, Miller and Co., but they need more time and a couple more pieces to become actual contenders. The first game without Williams is set to take place on Monday, against the Orlando Magic at Spectrum Center. Williams averages 7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.5 apg for his career while shooting 45.2% from the field and 37.7% from deep.