Kemba Walker Diagnosed With Sprained Neck After Collision With Semi Ojeleye

The official word on Kemba Walker's injury is out, and it's significantly less severe than it initially looked.

The Boston Celtics star has been diagnosed with a neck sprain after colliding head-first with teammate Semi Ojeleye while playing the Denver Nuggets on Friday. He is listed as doubtful for the team's matchup against the Sacramento Kings.

All things considered, that's fantastic news for the Celtics and for Walker. When he first suffered the injury, he crumpled to the floor and laid motionless before getting stretchered off.

In the moment, it almost felt as though the Celtics were going to have to endure a repeat of Gordon Hayward's gruesome first-game injury, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Walker has been a welcome addition to the Celtics this year, especially post-Kyrie Irving. He's averaging 21.1 points and 4.7 assists per game while shooting an even 40% from the field. He's a vital part of the offense.

But at the end of the day, what matters most is his well-being, and it's a massive relief to know that the injury he suffered wasn't as serious as it first looked.