Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

76ers rookie taken to hospital after hard fall

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 10/17/24

76ers rookie Jared McCain was taken to a hospital Wednesday night after he suffered a hard fall in the team's preseason game against the Nets.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, McCain was taken to a medical facility to be evaluated for a concussion, among other things, after he appeared to experience breathlessness from the nasty fall. As seen in the video below, McCain coughed several times before being helped to his feet by the 76ers medical personnel. Luckily, McCain walked to the locker room on his own and did not need a stretcher.

Jared McCain taken to the hospital after hard fall pic.twitter.com/xLl7Ilik10
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) October 17, 2024

McCain was unavailable to perform his postgame media obligations, but his head coach, Nick Nurse, provided an update on his health.

"It was rough," Nurse said, via ESPN. "He's going to the hospital to get checked out. Obviously, he was having trouble breathing there, maybe got the wind knocked out of him, not sure what was going on there, but never quite seen one like that before, so let's hope he's OK and see what the report is from the hospital."

Sixers wing Kelly Oubre Jr. felt his teammate was lucky not to "fall flat on his back" which may have worsened a possible head injury. Several replays showed that McCain hit his head and back sharply on the court at Wells Fargo Center. However, in a positive update via Keith Pompey of The Inquirer, Oubre confirmed that McCain was "fine" and still on track to play in the Sixers' opening game against the Bucks.

“He’s fine,” Kelly Oubre Jr said of Jared McCain. “It was very scary. He caught himself luckily. He didn’t fall flat on his back. He’s going to feel it tomorrow. That’s kind of what we were telling him. He just has to kind of take it easy. Make sure he’s 100 percent for opening…
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) October 17, 2024

McCain averaged 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists through Philadelphia's first five preseason games. Notably, he knocked down 2.2 threes from 5.8 attempts per game, establishing himself as an NBA-ready shooter. Several scouts felt the Sixers were lucky when McCain fell to them at No. 16 in the 2024 NBA Draft after his stellar one-and-done season at Duke that saw him shoot 41 percent from three.

Many believe McCain has the tools to be Tyrese Maxey's long-term backcourt partner in a Sixers uniform.

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