Anthony Black has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Hawks with a right ankle injury, downgraded from day-to-day on Tuesday's injury report. The Magic open the 2026-27 season without a guard who averaged 15.0 points in 29.8 minutes last season.
What happened
Anthony Black was listed as out on the injury report issued Tuesday, Oct 20 at 5:15 PM ET. The listed detail is a right ankle injury. His previous status was day-to-day, which he carried since Sep 30 and again on Oct 11, also for the right ankle. The report's comment says Black (ankle) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Hawks, per Philip Rossman-Reich of OrlandoMagicDaily.com. The report lists an expected return of Oct 23. No further detail on the injury has been announced.
What it means for the Magic
The Magic host the Hawks on Wednesday, Oct 21 at 7:00 PM ET. The 2026-27 season has not started, so the team is 0-0 and there is no record with or without Black yet. Last season he played 64 games and averaged 29.8 minutes, 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists, so Orlando loses a regular guard off the bench. In minutes without him, the guard load falls on Jalen Suggs at 27.6 minutes, Jevon Carter at 20.4 and Tyus Jones at 15.7, with Desmond Bane at 33.6. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carry the scoring. Jonathan Isaac, Noah Penda and Izaiyah Nelson are also out.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Black's status changes after Wednesday. The report lists an expected return of Oct 23, so the game against the Hawks is the only one he is currently ruled out of. No timeline beyond that has been announced. His ankle has been on the report since Sep 30, so any further downgrade would be the signal to watch. Status updates for Isaac, Penda and Nelson will come on the same report.
Is Anthony Black playing vs Hawks?
No. Black has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Hawks on Oct 21 with a right ankle injury, per the injury report.
When will Anthony Black be back?
The injury report lists an expected return of Oct 23. No firm date has been announced, and the next report will confirm his status.