For as long as Lexie Hull has adorned the Fever jersey, her TikTok openings have had one familiar line: “Hi, I’m Lexie, and I play with the Indiana Fever… and this is my outfit for the day.” Those have ranged from Athleta athleisure wear, summer dresses and twin fits with Sophie Cunningham to bold designer looks. But for her recent post, the clip opened with something far from the usual chirpy Lexie Hull. No, she didn’t change her look… but it’s something that was forced upon her.

On Tuesday night, the Indiana Fever wing ended up knocking heads with Gabby Williams in the first quarter of Indy’s win over Seattle. Both players, after the collision, were on the ground visibly in pain. But then, Hull left the game for a while, headed to the locker room, and returned in the second quarter with a sizeable knot on her forehead. When asked about it, she laughed off the swelling: “I knew that’s yeah, yeah, everyone’s like you look beautiful. I’m like, I know I look insane, but it honestly looks better now than it did when it first happened,” she shared in the postgame press conference. Little did she know what was following.

A couple of days since then, the knot—which was so big that she could see it out of her peripheral vision at first—has gone. Now, there’s some swelling on her forehead and two double black eyes. “Really funny you ask that, because it’s not doing great… I wish this was a filter,” Hull said in response to a comment asking her about her forehead knot.

While revealing her eyes, she pulled up her sunglasses and showed “raccoon eyes.” That’s a medical condition caused by head injuries. According to the Cleveland Clinic, raccoon eyes are “bruises around your eyes where blood pools underneath your skin. The bruises are darker than your natural skin tone and are often blue to purple. It’s usually a sign of an injury, like a skull fracture.” So, yeah, she got hit really hard but still played through.

But that’s not it—she’ll be returning to the game on Friday in first place. She’s passed concussion protocol and doesn’t have a fracture in her skull… but fans still aren’t satisfied!

Fans encourage “tough” Lexie Hull!

As fans saw big, swollen black eyes underneath the glasses Hull had on, they couldn’t stop themselves from diving into the comment section. “Wow… That’s one tough girl,” penned a user. It was Hull who first got onto all fours during the collision versus Gabby Williams. The hit was so hard that even HC Stephanie White explained it as “disgusting.”

“I don’t know if y’all saw it, but I mean, it’s just who she is… She is a tough young woman who battles every possession…. You can never tell if Lexie’s hurt (or) injured. If she goes down, she gets back up. She just always has the same expression and just plays her butt off,” coach shared in the postgame press conference. Hull, by the end of the game, had nine rebounds, one assist, five points, and a steal—enough to power Fever’s 95–75 run vs. the Storm.

“I just saw this. That is insane!!! Tough as nails,” penned another user. This isn’t the first time Lexie’s played through intense pain. Before the incident versus the Storm, she was elbowed in the face by Kayla McBride. Even then, she played through and had six points with one rebound, four assists, and two steals. So, yeah—that’s two blows to the head in less than a week.

@CathyEngelbert @WNBA …2 Black eyes and Knot on Forehead from Dangerous WNBA Court… penned another user. The physicality indeed has been high across the league. From Cunningham turning enforcer against Jacy Sheldon to Reese admitting it was ‘ugly’ out there as she pushed through back issues — the players have been fierce and the injuries plenty. So the fans are raising caution as she plans to return to the court soon.

“Damn, didn’t expect that. Does mom @hull_jaime know about this? Heal up soon Lexie,” wrote another. Last time Lexie had taken a hit by Kayla McBride, she penned: “She is okay! Sore neck & jaw, but she is okay. One tough kid that can take a hit and never complain!” on X. White would agree.

Hull would’ve preferred to rest if it wasn’t for the playoffs. At this point, with just six games remaining before the postseason, and Caitlin Clark still “hopeful” to return, Hull knows her importance. “She really kind of epitomizes the toughness and the grit of this team,” White explains it all better.

“She’s a gamer, a tough girl, and such an important player for the Fever. Hopefully she’s on the team for a long time,” agreed another user. The Stanford alumna has found a consistent spot in the starting lineup, having one breakout year after another. She sure is a foundation the Fever will look to hold on to, and the upcoming trip to the West Coast to face the Sparks and the Valkyries will be a true test of that.

But when will these raccoon eyes be gone? Well, it could take up to three days for them to appear and two weeks to clear.