Kelly Oubre Jr. had gotten off to a strong start this season for the surprisingly successful Philadelphia 76ers. However, on Saturday, he reportedly was struck by a vehicle and hospitalized as a result.
❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/AgkaWnO7oT
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 12, 2023
Luckily, he was released from the hospital shortly afterward.
Kelly Oubre was just released from the hospital.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) November 12, 2023
What appears to make the incident seem a bit mysterious is a now-deleted social media post from Friday in which an X (formally Twitter) user wished the forward would “get hit by a car.”
one day ago https://t.co/4IHDuWgjxk pic.twitter.com/O98uAMAcXm
— mev 🏀🧸🌹 (@mevvybear) November 12, 2023
The account that made the post doesn’t seem to be in use following the news of Oubre’s situation.
Through eight games this season, Oubre is averaging 16.3 points per contest while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range. Both accuracy marks are well above his career averages.
However, he shot just 3-of-9 from the field and scored only eight points on Friday when the Sixers defeated the Detroit Pistons 114-106. That performance seemingly led to the post being made.
Oubre has started in five of his eight contests for Philly so far this year. The team has forged a 7-1 record, which puts it in first place in the Eastern Conference, ahead of even the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, the heavyweights in the conference.
Philly perhaps had a big weight lifted off its shoulders after it recently traded James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. Harden had wanted to be traded dating back to early this summer, but when the team was unable to find a deal for him in a timely fashion, he went off and called executive Daryl Morey a “liar.”
The Sixers received draft assets, Nicolas Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington and K.J. Martin for Harden, P.J. Tucker and Filip Petrusev, giving Philly a good amount of depth at the wing and forward spots.
Guard Tyrese Maxey has flourished without Harden, averaging 25.9 points and 7.5 assists per game this season, while Joel Embiid, the reigning regular season MVP, is continuing to put up dominant numbers.
On Wednesday, the team will have a big showdown with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the reloaded Celtics at home. Unfortunately, Oubre is expected to miss significant time due to Saturday’s incident.
