Pacers Forward Suffers Season-Ending Injury

Ricardo Klein | 20 Hours Ago

Mar 27, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A view of the Indiana Pacers logo on the shorts of guard George Hill (3) in the game against the Houston Rockets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Rockets by the score of 104-101. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana Pacers forward Jordan Bell suffered a left knee injury during Friday's G League game against the Iowa Wolves and has undergone season-ending surgery.

Bell played with the Indiana Pacers' G League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants. Although he had international opportunities this summer, he opted to return to the Mad Ants for a second consecutive campaign. He posted eight points and eight rebounds during his G League season debut but played only 13 seconds before suffering the injury against Iowa.

Bell last played in an NBA regular season game in 2021-22 with the Chicago Bulls and has made only 36 appearances since the 2018-19 campaign with the Golden State Warriors.

The Chicago Bulls initially drafted Bell in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft with the No. 38 overall pick. However, he has traded to the Warriors for $3.5 million in cash considerations.

Bell played for the Warriors for two seasons before they made him a restricted free agent and signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2019 offseason.

He was later traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, along with Robert Covington, to the Houston Rockets in a four-team, 12-player deal. The next day, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Bruno Caboclo and a 2023 second-round pick swap. On March 2, 2020, Bell was waived by the Grizzlies.

Prior to the 2020-21 season, Bell signed with the Washington Wizards but was waived the same day and subsequently added to the Erie BayHawks as a flex-affiliate player sent from the Capital City Go-Go on Jan. 12, 2021.

After that, Bell returned to the Warriors in May 2021 on a two-way contract. In the middle of the 2021-22 season, Bell signed a 10-day contract with the Bulls, the team that originally drafted him, using the hardship exception that became available when the Bulls had multiple players in the NBA's health and safety protocols.

Bell has had trouble getting a real stint in the NBA. At 29 years old and with a major injury under his belt, his chances of getting another opportunity seem low.

Prior to the start of his NBA career, Bell was a standout in Long Beach, California, and committed to the University of Oregon.

In his final year as a Duck, he averaged 10.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game and helped lead Oregon to the Final Four. Bell was also named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and the Second Team All-Pac-12.

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