The Toronto Tempo simply cannot catch a break. After already losing Brittney Sykes to an early foot injury in the same game, the team was dealt another significant blow when Aneesah Morrow was helped off the court with an apparent knee injury, leaving fans fearing the worst.
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The incident, as seen in a clip shared by B/R W Sports, occurred early in the second quarter with 8:40 remaining in the Tempo vs. Fire game on Friday. Portland Fire forward Emily Engstler drove to the basket, jumped, and converted the attempt. However, while landing, she appeared to collide directly with Morrow’s knee.
That collision saw Engstler immediately fall to the floor, and she slapped the board repeatedly in pain. However, while she came away without any apparent injury, Aneesah Morrow, who held her knee immediately after the collision, eventually went down in visible pain and had to be carried off the court by staff.
The footage has now sparked several reactions from fans, with many expressing their concerns and sending in prayers for Morrow. Some fans were simply hoping that it would not turn out to be one of the worst injuries.
“I hope it’s not a torn ACL or Achilles,” one fan said, fearing that Morrow could be dealing with either an ACL tear or an Achilles tear. Another fan, simply hoping it was not a serious injury, said, “Hope it’s not serious and she’s ok 🙏🏾.”
As it stands now, it’s not quite clear how severe Aneesah Morrow’s injury is, as the Toronto Tempo have not yet released an official update regarding the results of her medical evaluations or the exact nature of the knee damage.
One particularly concerning aspect of Morrow’s injury, however, is the fact that she had only just recovered from an earlier injury. And that’s something some fans were particularly concerned about.
“💔 Feels. We just got her back,” one fan wrote. Another fan, reacting with even more alarm, said: “NOOOOOOOOOOO SHE JUST GOT THERE.”
Morrow had been dealing with a persistent leg injury earlier in the summer while still with the Connecticut Sun. And that problem lingered well into July before she was traded to the Toronto Tempo on July 31. She was only upgraded to probable and cleared to make her Tempo debut on August 4. And so far, she had featured in just seven games before this latest setback.
The cruel irony of the situation is that Aneesah Morrow was acquired specifically because the Tempo were already struggling, mid-season results had dipped, and injury issues were mounting. Ahead of Thursday’s game, the team was already without Marina Mabrey, Nyara Sabally, and Maria Conde. Sykes’ early exit and now Morrow’s departure in the same game only deepened an already alarming situation.
And fans were quick to recognize the full scale of the team’s injury crisis. “Tempo can’t catch a break with all these injuries holy 😩,” one fan wrote. Another simply sent prayers for the player and the franchise, saying: “Prayers up for Morrow, and poor Tempo 😭.”
Despite everything, the Tempo still managed to win the game, defeating the Portland Fire 82-79. But pulling off a similar result in their next game against the Las Vegas Aces will be an entirely different challenge. With the number of key players currently unavailable, the Tempo’s depth will be tested in ways even a resilient win against Portland cannot fully prepare them for.