WNBA Player Loses Tooth After Taking Brutal Elbow

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dibyendu Mondal | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 7:42 AM ET

The Washington Mystics pulled off a statement win on the road against the Las Vegas Aces, taking a 94–83 victory on Thursday. Rookie guard Sonia Citron led the charge with 21 points, joining Paige Bueckers as rookies with multiple 20+ point games.

Sug Sutton chipped in 17 and Shakira Austin hauled in a crucial double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds). Despite missing top scorer Brittney Sykes, the Mystics shot a scorching 10-for-19 from beyond the arc to secure their third straight win.

However, amidst all that, a brutal on-court moment became the highlight.

Early in the first quarter, Jade Melbourne was struck in the face by an inadvertent elbow from Chelsea Gray, resulting in part of her tooth becoming dislodged and forcing her out of the game.

The incident unfolded right after Melbourne’s layup put the Mystics ahead 2–0. Replay confirmed the blow, and medical staff immediately escorted her off the court.

This was the eighth loss for the team, taking their home record to 5-4.

"Terrible, start to finish, we lost every quarter but that fourth quarter," Gray said post-game about the match. "And a lot of that, just because our bench came in and competed and did a great job, and that's what we're gonna need."

Jade Melbourne still smiling on Georgia Amoore’s IG. pic.twitter.com/nxvOccYF3X
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) June 27, 2025

Head Coach Becky Hammon was absolutely not happy with today's performance, replying just "not good" when asked about her assessment.

"There's too many breakdowns. It's one person this time, it's another person that time." She said. "Quite frankly, I mean, we've played eight quarters against this team, and we've played hard and competed in two of them, two out of the eight."

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

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