Who Is Injured in the NBA Right Now?

Keep up to date with the latest NBA injury news and information on who is injured right now.

Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving is one of the best point guards in the NBA. Unfortunately, he is also one of the most injury-prone players in the league. Irving has missed significant time in each of the last three seasons due to injury. Most recently, he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2015 playoffs.

Diagnosis

Kyrie Irving’s injury is a stress reaction in his left knee, per Shams Charania.

The injury will likely keep him out for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Treatment

Kyrie Irving is still receiving treatment for his injured shoulder, but there is no timetable for his return. Irving will be re-evaluated in early December, but it is unclear if he will be ready to play by then. The Cavaliers have been struggling without Irving, but they have managed to stay afloat thanks to the play of LeBron James and Kevin Love.

Timeline

June 1, 2017: Irving suffered a season-ending injury in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He underwent surgery to repair a fractured kneecap.

Sept. 12, 2017: Irving returned to action and played in four preseason games before the start of the 2017-18 regular season.

Nov. 9, 2017: Just 11 games into his comeback from knee surgery, Irving aggravated his knee injury and was forced to undergo a procedure to remove two screws that were inserted during his previous surgery. He was ruled out for an indefinite period of time.

Mar. 11, 2018: After missing 26 games due to his surgically-repaired knee, Irving made his return to the court.

Apr. 4, 2018: In his sixth game back from injury, Irving suffered a minor setback when he sprained his ankle in a game against the Indiana Pacers. He did not miss any time as a result of the injury.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. Durant has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals.

Diagnosis

Kevin Durant, one of the best players in the NBA, is currently injured. He was diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles tendon after an MRI on Wednesday.

Treatment

Kevin Durant is one of the best players in the NBA and he plays for the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately, Durant has been injured for much of the past two seasons. In 2019, Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals. He missed all of last season rehabbing from that injury and he has not played yet this season as he continues to recover.

The Warriors are being very cautious with Durant and there is no timetable for his return. However, they are hopeful that he will be able to play at some point during the 2020-21 season. In the meantime, treatment for Durant’s injury will continue.

Timeline

Kevin Durant has been injured off and on throughout his NBA career. Here is a timeline of his injuries.

-May 2014: Durant suffers a right foot injury during the Western Conference Semifinals. The injury forces him to miss the rest of the playoffs.

-October 2014: Durant has surgery to repair a broken bone in his right foot. He misses the first month of the regular season.

-March 2015: Durant sprains his right ankle and misses several games.

-January 2016: Durant has surgery to repair a small fracture in his right leg. He misses nearly two months of action.

-March 2017: Durant suffers a sprained left knee and misses over a month of action.

Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for one season with the Duke Blue Devils. As a freshman, he was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, Naismith College Player of the Year, Sporting News Player of the Year, and the consensus NCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.

Diagnosis

Zion Williamson has a torn meniscus in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the NBA season, the New Orleans Pelicans announced Friday.

The No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft underwent further testing in Los Angeles on Thursday after an MRI taken Wednesday revealed the damage. The Pelicans said the results of Thursday’s tests confirmed the original diagnosis.

Treatment

Unfortunately for Williamson, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for a torn meniscus. The course of treatment will be determined by the location, size and type of tear, as well as the patient’s overall health and activity level.

In general, however, most meniscus tears can be treated with a combination of rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE), physical therapy and/or surgery. Physical therapy may help to improve range of motion and strength, while surgery is typically reserved for more severe tears that do not respond to conservative treatment.

If Williamson does opt for surgery, it is likely that he will be sidelined for several months. Recovery times can vary depending on the individual, but it is not uncommon for patients to miss 4-6 months of action following meniscus surgery.

Timeline

Zion Williamson was born on July 6, 2000, in Salisbury, North Carolina. He began playing organized basketball in fifth grade. In high school, Williamson played for Spartanburg Day School, where he was coached by his father, Sharone Williamson. He helped lead the team to three state championships.

Williamson was ranked as a five-star recruit by multiple scouting services. He committed to playing college basketball for Duke University. At Duke, Williamson played for one season under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He helped lead the team to the 2019 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament championship game.

During his only season at Duke, Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. He was named the consensus National Player of the Year and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year. Williamson declared himself eligible for the 2019 NBA draft following his successful freshman campaign. The New Orleans Pelicans selected him with the first overall pick in the draft.

Williamson missed most of his rookie season due to a knee injury that he suffered during a Pelicans’ preseason game on October 13, 2019. On January 22, 2020, he made his NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs and scored 22 points in 18 minutes off the bench in a 121-117 victory.

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors is injured and will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Diagnosis

Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals.

Treatment

Klay Thompson is receiving treatment for his strained right hamstring, head coach Steve Kerr said Monday.

The Golden State Warriors shooting guard suffered the injury during the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Houston Rockets. He did not return to the game.

Kerr said Thompson will “likely” miss Tuesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors are also without All-Star point guard Stephen Curry, who is sidelined with a groin injury.

Timeline

Klay Thompson was drafted 11th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2011 NBA draft. He helped lead the Warriors to an NBA championship in his rookie season, and the team would go on to win two more championships in 2015 and 2017 with Thompson as a key player on the squad.

Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, and he missed the entire 2019-20 season as a result. He returned to action in 2020-21, but he ruptured his Achilles tendon in April 2021 and is expected to miss the entire 2021-22 season as well.