‘KJ is not a dirty guy.’ Hornets stand by Simpson after flagrant foul on Memphis’ Jaylen Wells
Charles Lee thinks he’s gotten to know KJ Simpson pretty well over these past 10 months and the Charlotte Hornets coach is certain the rookie guard didn’t have any ill intent Tuesday night.
Simpson got ejected from the Hornets’ 124-100 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at Spectrum Center for a Flagrant 2 foul on Jaylen Wells, a scary moment that visibly shook up some of the players on both teams. Wells was transported to an area hospital and sustained a broken right wrist, according to Grizzlies interim coach Tuomas Iisalo.
“Hard to witness something like that,” Lee said. “In the heat of the game, just really trying to tell the guys obviously, ‘Let’s keep him in our thoughts and our prayers.’ I think a lot of guys walked over and either patted him on the butt or went over to the coach and said something to the coach about how they apologize. I did the same thing, because we don’t play dirty.
“I think it just happened in the heat of the moment in competition. We’re going to continue to think about him, pray for him and hope everything ends up going as well as possible. Credit to both teams for finding a way, kind of just rally and refocus and get back out there and play.”
With just over a minute remaining in the first half of the Hornets’ final home game of the season, Memphis guard and South Carolina native Ja Morant threw a fullcourt pass to Wells, who rose up for a two-handed dunk.
Simpson was chasing Wells down and awkwardly stumbled into the 6-foot-6, 206-pound rookie from Washington State, crashing into his right leg and causing Wells to lose his balance and tumble hard head first onto the floor. He lay motionless and members of the Hornets’ health and performance staff immediately sprung into action to assist since the play took place on the baseline in front of Charlotte’s bench.
“Oh, that’s tough, man,” Morant said. “I saw the end of it obviously, because I threw the pass. I turned around and was doing the ‘touchdown’ because that’s what I tell him. When he hears me say ‘touchdown,’ he just takes off running. First thing I saw was blood and I’ve got a weak stomach.
“It’s tough. We’ve just got to stay with him and keep praying for him.”
That’s similar to some of the Hornets’ plans.
“I think first of all, the only thing we can do is just pray for Jaylen Wells,” Miles Bridges said. “He’s a great guy. I’ve talked to him a couple times and he seems like a great kid. It’s very unfortunate what happened to him. I know KJ is not a dirty guy. It was just an unfortunate situation, but I hear things are going well for him.
“Like I said, my prayers are up for him.”
Initially, the play was ruled just a common foul. However, following a video review, it was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 foul, leading to an automatic ejection along with two free throws and possession of the ball for Memphis.
“After the review we felt that it was unnecessary and extensive,” crew chief Karl Lane said, “and a reckless play by the defender to a player who is in a vulnerable position with a high potential for injury, which he did have a high potential for injury. We felt that was enough for a Flagrant 2.”
While emergency medical personnel attended to Wells, Simpson was nearly inconsolable. Grant Williams, Taj Gibson and others tried to assure Simpson he didn’t do anything purposefully egregious.
“You could tell he feels bad about it,” Bridges said. “KJ is a good kid, but you know he feels bad about that. So, all we could do is be there for him and he wants to be there for Jaylen. So, like I said, unfortunate event.”
A 20-minute delay occurred due to waiting for another ambulance to arrive at the arena after the original one had to be utilized to transport Wells to a local hospital. The whole scene was a somber end to Simpson’s last home game during his first season with the Hornets.
“He feels bad about what happened,” Lee said. “Credit to the team for continuing to pick him up in that moment and give him the support that he needs in that moment, because he definitely felt bad about it.”
Mark Williams recipient of Rick Bonnell Award
It’s been a trying season for Mark Williams.
A foot injury prior to the beginning of training camp that kept him out until December got things off to a tough start and having a trade to Los Angeles rescinded because the Lakers failed his physical certainly didn’t help matters. But through it all Williams was cooperative with the media and represented himself and the Hornets in a way that made this year’s recipient of the Rick Bonnell Award.
Created in 2021-22, the award honors the impact and legacy and impact of former Charlotte Observer Hornets beat writer Rick Bonnell. Selected by a panel consisting of local members from a variety of media outlets that cover the Hornets on a regular basis, it’s given annually to a player on the Hornets who shows the most professionalism and cooperates with the media.
“I think it’s cool to be able to be acknowledged for expressing yourself in the right way,” Williams told The Observer. “Obviously, this year for me saw a lot of unexpected things, so I just tried to say what I wanted to say without being too much of a distraction, carrying myself the right way. And to be acknowledged for that is kind of cool.”
In his dealings with the media, Williams typically has an eloquent perspective. That’s partially attributable to him attending the notable university two hours away from Charlotte in Durham.
“Duke definitely helps,” Williams said. “But yeah, I think it’s important to give a thoughtful answer because you are your best source, so you are going to know everything as well as you want, however you want toward something and get it put it out that way. Because you know the truth more than anybody else.
“So, you try to express that to the best of your ability without coming off disrespectful is a balance I try to find.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 10:54 PM.
