NBA Official Injured in Collision

During Thursday night’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets, NBA official Sharei Mitchell was involved in a collision with a cameraman, leading to what seemed to be a head injury. The incident caused her to collapse on the court.

Mitchell, who is in her first season with the NBA, was running at full speed with a little over eight minutes left in the game when she ran into the cameraman filming the crowd. This unfortunate encounter resulted in her falling hard to the ground.

The game was paused as Mitchell bent forward, visibly in pain and holding the back of her head. She managed to leave the court and took a seat while still clutching her head.

As it turns out, Jalen Johnson contributed significantly with 21 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, and Mitchell later returned to officiate, helping the Hawks secure a 108-97 victory over the Nets, which marked their eighth consecutive win in the NBA.

Mitchell, 40, officially joined the NBA this season after previously officiating a handful of regular-season games as a non-staff official during the previous two seasons. It’s worth noting that before her career in officiating, she was a prominent player in women’s college basketball at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and spent time coaching at various universities including Stanford and UCLA.