Orlando’s Franz Wagner (22) sustained a lower leg injury during the first quarter of the Magic’s 106-100 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday. Ishika Samant / Getty Images
NEW YORK — Orlando Magic forward Frank Wagner left Sunday’s game against the New York Knicks in the first quarter after landing awkwardly on his left leg following a lob attempt.
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley confirmed the lower leg injury after the game, and Wagner was spotted on crutches. He is expected to undergo more tests Monday.
More than seven minutes into the Magic’s 106-100 loss to the Knicks, guard Anthony Black tossed a lob to Wagner on a fast break. Wagner leaped for the ball, as did Knicks center Ariel Hukporti, who slapped it away but also bumped into his opponent in midair.
Wagner came down on his left leg and could not walk off the court under his own power. Two teammates, including his older brother Moe, held him up as he put pressure only on his right side.
“You never wanna see anybody go down, but that hurt my heart watching him hit the floor,” Mosley said. “Just praying that everything is gonna be OK with him. You just don’t like to see that happen to anyone, especially a person trying to do everything the right way at all times.”
Wagner, in his fifth season with the Magic after being drafted eighth in the 2021 NBA Draft, is putting up some of the best numbers of his career, helping the Magic to a 14-10 record after a 1-4 start to the year. Entering Sunday, he was averaging 23.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from the 3-point line.
“He’s just continuing to step up to the plate in doing everything that we ask him to do, beginning on the defensive end of the floor, taking on different challenges, stepping on the offensive end with confidence,” Mosley said. “The things he’s great at doing are getting downhill, attacking the basket, getting to the free-throw line, stepping into his shot with confidence. He’s been great for us this year.”
Dec 7, 2025
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