Sixers announce Markelle Fultz out indefinitely with shoulder injury

Samantha Pell
Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely with a shoulder soreness and “scapular muscle imbalance.”
Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely with a shoulder soreness and “scapular muscle imbalance.”

Philadelphia 76ers’ rookie Markelle Fultz is out indefinitely with soreness and “scapular muscle imbalance” in his right shoulder, the team announced Sunday.

The No. 1 overall draft pick consulted with several shoulder specialists, including a visit with Dr. Ben Kibler, Medical Director of the Shoulder Center of Kentucky at the Lexington Clinic on Sunday.

The visit concluded that there is no structural impairment to the shoulder, and Fultz will continue his physiotherapy treatment.

Fultz will be re-evaluated by doctors in three weeks.

On Oct. 25, the team announced it was resting Fultz for three games because of his sore shoulder. Fultz — who was coming off the bench — has played in just four NBA games and was shooting 33 percent (9-of-27) from the floor and 50 percent (6-of-12) from the free throw line. The last game he played in was on Oct. 23 against the Detroit Pistons, scoring just two points.

The 19-year-old’s shoulder injury saga has been well-documented up to this point, with the most twists and turns coming from his agent on Oct. 24.

First, Fultz’s agent Raymond Brothers told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that Fultz “had fluid drained from his right shoulder” before the start of the regular season, and was “planning to visit a specialist soon” to try to get to the bottom of his ongoing discomfort.

Less than five hours post-publication, Wojnarowski updated his story after Fultz’s agent changed the details.

“He had a cortisone shot on Oct. 5, which means fluid was put into his shoulder — not taken out,” agent Raymond Brothers told ESPN on Tuesday night. “My intention earlier was to let people know that he’s been experiencing discomfort. We will continue to work with [Sixers general manager] Bryan Colangelo and the medical staff.”

Whatever the case may be, Fultz clearly wasn’t himself to start the season and this will allow him to completely heal before returning to the court.