After playing 13 minutes in the first half, Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson did not start the second half against the Tulsa Shock and now word out of Tulsa is that the reigning WNBA MVP is out with a strained left hip.
There is no word about when or if she might return at this time tonight or how she sustained the injury.
Jackson has struggled all season and some fans have wondered if it had to do with the Achilles tendon injury she suffered this off-season. Although this is presumably unrelated, it only makes a disappointing start to the season worse.
Perhaps ironically, without Jackson in the lineup the Storm have actually started to find a rhythm on both ends of the floor and quickly erased Tulsa’s lead and got up by six points a few minutes into the half.
Jackson’s injury puts pressure on two people: Le’coe Willingham, who came in to replace her and Sue Bird who is once again forced to carry the team’s scoring burden.