Orlando Magic Center Wendell Carter Jr. Gives Injury Update: 'One of The Best Days of My Life'

"Today was probably one of the best days of my life," Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. said. "For me, it's just getting back in shape."

Jeremy Brener | Nov 28, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - The Orlando Magic has played well in November, and most of that success has come despite the absence of Wendell Carter Jr., who is nearly four weeks removed from breaking his finger against the Utah Jazz.

Carter Jr. has been sidelined ever since, but he received some good news from the doctor on Tuesday. He was able to remove his cast, a sign that he is inching closer to a return to the court.

"Today was probably one of the best days of my life," Carter Jr. said. "For me, it's just getting back in shape."

Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. defending Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis / USA Today Sports

Carter Jr.'s hand still needs time to heal, but he is focusing on getting back into shape to be able to run the floor with his team.

"I'm just allowing the bone to heal," Carter Jr. said. "That's really the biggest thing you know, I got some screws in there, and some wires so I just got to kind of let it all just start to mesh together and start to kind of find out and all the bones starting to look back to normal."

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Carter Jr. will be re-evaluated in about two weeks' time, where he hopes the doctor will give him the all-clear to return to action. This likely means he won't be able to play for the In-Season Tournament knockout round, should the Magic qualify for it. However, a return shortly after that can't be ruled out.

The Magic will be back in action tomorrow night against the Washington Wizards at home. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Published Nov 28, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.