Dec. 18--The wife of PGA Tour star Jason Day has been taken to a Cleveland hospital after Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James landed on her while chasing down a loose ball in the game Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ellie Day, who grew up in Lucas, Ohio, and met her husband as he traveled through the state as an aspiring golfer, toppled backward in her courtside seat after James collided with her.
James had tracked down a loose ball next to Thunder forward Serge Ibaka and flipped it back onto the court before losing his balance and tumbling into the seats.
Various NBA reporters at the game took to Twitter to report the news. Ellie Day was taken from the arena on a stretcher.
The collision occurred in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers' 104-100 victory over the Thunder. The game was stopped with 3 minutes 7 seconds left so Ellie Day could be put on a backboard.
Her condition was not known, but James told reporters after the game that he spoke with Ellie Day while she was being helped by medical personnel.
"I squeezed her hand and she said she was OK," James said. "I think she was just a little weary. For me, obviously, her health is very important and hopefully she is doing well. The guys told me she's doing great now. For me, just going for a loose ball, I tried to keep the possession going, I just hate that that was the end result."
James later tweeted an apology to the couple.
Jason Day, a 28-year-old from Australia, has been on the PGA Tour since 2006 and is currently ranked No. 2 in the world. He has seven victories on tour and won his first major event this year at the PGA Championship.
The couple married in 2009 and have two children. Their son Dash was born in 2012 and daughter Lucy was born on Nov. 11. The Day family resides in Westerville, Ohio.
James finished with 33 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds in Cleveland's win. Tristan Thompson had 15 rebounds for the Cavaliers.
Russell Westbrook had 27 points and Kevin Durant scored 25 for the Thunder, who were down 98-89 with three minutes left before rallying to within three points, 103-100.
Wire and Internet reports contributed to this story.
