PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia 76ers' Kelly Oubre Jr. is recovering after being hit by a car Saturday night. Police are now working to locate the driver, who took off after hitting the 27-year-old starting guard at Spruce and Hicks streets in Center City.
According to a representative of the team, the hit-and-run happened around 7 p.m., when Oubre was struck while walking near his home.
According to a police report, Oubre was hit as he was walking westbound along Spruce Street. He was crossing Hicks Street when a car described only as silver in color, also traveling westbound on Spruce, attempted to turn south onto Hicks Street. The driver’s-side mirror hit Oubre in the chest.
The driver continued southward on Hicks Street and did not return.
Police say Oubre was taken to the hospital in stable condition with a broken rib and injuries to his hip and right leg. He was released a few hours later.
The husband and father of two is back home. According to the Sixers, Oubre is out and he is expected to miss a significant amount of time on the basketball court. His condition will be re-evaluated in approximately one week, the team said.
Oubre has been in the NBA since 2015, but this is his first season with the Sixers.
Jared Hamilton, a fan from Chicago who came into town specifically to watch the 76ers play, is staying at a hotel at the intersection where Oubre was hit.
“I heard about the situation last night,” he said. “I think it’s a foul situation. That’s just letting you know how inhumane these humans can be out here.”
Hamilton says he hopes whoever caused the accident is held accountable.
“You hit somebody that big, you’re going to notice,” he said, “but all the witnesses and all the cameras and stuff — you should have thought about that. So, some kind of repercussions need to happen here.”
Word of the incident left Sixers fan Trey Jones deeply concerned.
“That was crazy. What would the odds of that be — him being right here in the city, being hit, by a hit-and-run,” Jones said. “Somebody is just going to pull off and disregard somebody else’s life? It’s crazy.”
Taking a moment to pause at the intersection where Oubre was hit, Jones said, “I want to send my prayers to him. I hope he gets better and has a quick recovery.”
A police investigation remains ongoing. Officials have not released a description of the vehicle involved.