Ezi Magbegor’s Face Injury: What Happened to the Seattle Storm Star?

Published: July 13, 2026, 10:49 a.m. ET

The Big News in Simple Terms

The Seattle Storm (a team in the WNBA, which is the top women’s basketball league in the U.S.) have some unhappy news. Their player Ezi Magbegor got hurt and will not be playing basketball for a while.

• Ezi is a forward (a player who usually stays near the basket to score and grab missed shots).
• Before a game against the Washington Mystics on Sunday, she was listed as “out, facial injury.”
• The Storm’s head coach, Sonia Raman, later said Ezi broke a bone in her face.
• The coach explained that Ezi will be “reevaluated in the next couple of weeks.”

Important: A broken bone in the face needs time to heal. Ezi is out of action for now, and doctors will take another look at her in about two weeks.

How the Injury Happened (Step by Step)

Let’s walk through the event like a simple story:

1. July 9, 2026: Ezi was playing a game against the Atlanta Dream (another WNBA team).
2. Early in the second quarter (a basketball game is split into four equal parts called quarters; the second quarter is the second part), she was trying to grab a rebound (the ball after someone misses a shot) while battling with the Dream’s center (a tall player) named Madina Okot.
3. By accident, Madina’s elbow hit Ezi in the face. It was not done on purpose.
4. Ezi left the game early after only 8 minutes of playing time.
5. In those 8 minutes, she had scored 2 points (by putting the ball in the hoop) and grabbed 5 rebounds.
6. After the game, she was officially ruled out (meaning she could not keep playing).

What the Coach Said

After the Atlanta game, Coach Sonia Raman told reporters:

“Ezi got hit in the face. We don’t have (an) update now, but we’re evaluating her.”

Later, the coach confirmed (through a reporter’s social media post) that the hit caused a broken bone in Ezi’s face. She also repeated that Ezi will be checked again in the next couple of weeks.

A Tough Season for Ezi So Far

This face injury is just the latest bump in a challenging year for the star player.

• Ezi is a WNBA All-Star (one of the league’s best players chosen for a special honor).
• In April 2026, while playing for her home country Australia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers (a tournament that decides which countries get to play in the big world basketball championship) in Istanbul, Turkey, she hurt her right foot.
• That foot injury made her miss the first 20 games of the WNBA season.
• She finally returned on July 2, 2026, playing against Phoenix (the Phoenix Mercury team). In that game, she played 17 minutes and recorded:
  • 8 points
  • 3 assists (passes that lead directly to a teammate scoring)
  • 1 steal (taking the ball away from the other team)
• Across the 4 games she has played this season, she averages:
  • 3.5 points per game
  • 4 rebounds per game
  • 1 assist per game

But after only 4 games back, the face injury struck.

Summary

To sum it all up: Ezi Magbegor, a key forward for the Seattle Storm, broke a bone in her face during a July 9 game when she accidentally got elbowed while going for a rebound. She had only just returned from a foot injury that kept her out for 20 games. Right now, she is not playing and will be examined by doctors in a few weeks. Fans will need to wait to see her back on the court.

FAQ

1. Who is Ezi Magbegor?
Ezi is a professional basketball player from Australia who plays forward for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA. She is also a WNBA All-Star.

2. When will she play again?
We don’t know exactly. The coach said she will be re-evaluated in the next couple of weeks, so she will be out at least until then.

3. How did she get hurt this time?
On July 9, while trying to grab a rebound against the Atlanta Dream, she was accidentally hit in the face by an elbow from opponent Madina Okot, which broke a bone in her face.

4. Was she already injured earlier this season?
Yes. In April, she hurt her right foot while playing for Australia in a world cup qualifying event. That kept her from playing the first 20 games of the Storm’s season.

5. What are her stats since coming back?
In her 4 games this season, she averaged 3.5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist per game. In her first game back on July 2, she scored 8 points, made 3 assists, and had 1 steal.