Celtics' Jayson Tatum Sprains Ankle as Team USA Escapes Upset by Turkey in Overtime

Tatum stepped on another player's foot in overtime on Tuesday and rolled his left ankle.

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum suffered a sprained left ankle on Tuesday as Team USA escaped an upset bid by Turkey in overtime. Tatum will reportedly be reevaluated on Wednesday.

Turkey missed four straight free throws with under a minute remaining in overtime. Tatum nabbed the rebound on the last missed shot for Team USA and went coast-to-coast to find Bucks' Khris Middleton, who was then fouled and sunk both his shots at the line to secure the 93–92 win.

Tatum was injured on the play and was helped off the floor before Middleton made it to the line. It appears that Tatum stepped on another player's foot while in traffic. His left ankle rolled and the young Boston star went down.

Here's Jayson Tatum's ankle injury at the end of Team USA's win over Turkey. pic.twitter.com/IrUadQz1DE

— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) September 3, 2019

A host of NBA stars declined to play for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup due to injury risk. No timeline has been set for Tatum's return.

After the game, Tatum was spotted by reporters leaving the arena wearing a show and without much of a limp. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reports Tatum said his ankle is already feeling better.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens was asked about the injury and said, per the Boston Globe's Nicole Yang, "It doesn't sound like it's too bad, which is good."

USA beat the Czech Republic 88–67 on Sunday in their first group stage clash. The USA, who entered the tournament as FIBA’s No. 1 world ranked team, will play Japan next on Sept. 5.