WNBA Player Carried Off the Court With Concerning Injury After Just 41 Seconds

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated May 17, 2025 12:03 AM ET

The Los Angeles Sparks kicked off their 2025 WNBA campaign on Friday night in a highly anticipated matchup against the Golden State Valkyries, who are playing their first-ever game after being added as an expansion franchise for this season.

Unfortunately for the Sparks, they got off to a troubling start in their first outing of the new year. This is after fourth-year guard-forward Rae Burrell had to be carried off the court in the first quarter of the game.

Burrell came off the bench in the opening quarter, but she ended up playing just 41 seconds before suffering what appears to be a serious knee injury.

Sparks forward Rae Burrell has to be carried off the court after suffering an apparent knee injury

Game 1 of the season. Not good#WNBA pic.twitter.com/5UNjASGmWg
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) May 17, 2025

It did not take long before the Sparks announced on social media that Burrell had been ruled out for the remainder of the first half after being diagnosed with an injury to her right lower extremity.

The fact that the 6-foot-2 guard-forward could not put any weight on the leg and had to be carried to the locker room was not a good sign. The Sparks have not provided the details of her injury, but it's hard to deny that there is considerable concern for her status moving forward.

Burrell could potentially join Sparks star Cameron Brink on the team's injury list as the 23-year-old continues to recover from a torn ACL. The latest news on Brink is that she could potentially return to action sometime in June--roughly one calendar year since she suffered the injury during her rookie year--which is a huge development for L.A. and their playoff hopes this season.

For now, though, Sparks fans will have to hope that Burrell's injury is not as bad as initially anticipated.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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