NBA Players Who Suffered a Torn Achilles
An achilles tear is one of the most debilitating and difficult injuries that can be suffered by an athlete. Essentially sidelining a player for the remaining season, achilles tears can dampen a player’s playing career and can make it difficult to resume top-tier playing status.
But an achilles tear doesn’t have to sideline an NBA or basketball player for life. Below, we are going to look at the top NBA players who suffered a torn achilles and those same players who made a comeback, despite the difficult road to recovery.
Be sure to check out our review of the NBA players who suffered a torn ACL as well!
What is the Achilles?
The achilles, or the achilles tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg and is the thickest tendon in the human body. Attaching the calf to the heel bone, the achilles tendon begins near the middle of the calf.
What is an Achilles Tear?
As the name suggests, an achilles tear, or an achilles tendon rupture, is an injury which affects the back of the lower leg. Per the diagram above, the tear is typically isolated to the achilles tendon and most often occurs in individuals playing recreational sports, including basketball, soccer, and football.
However, as the achilles tendon is a strong, fibrous cord which connects the muscles in the back of your calf to the ones in your heel bone, it typically requires overstretching for the tear to occur.
With an achilles tear, a “pop” sound may be heard as the tear occurs, which is often immediately followed by sharp pain in the back of your ankle and lower leg.
An achilles tear will also likely affect your ability to walk on that foot. However, there are both surgical and nonsurgical treatment options to repair the torn achilles tendon.
Kevin Durant
Perhaps the most famous NBA player to have torn their achilles tendon is none other than Kevin Durant.
A two-time NBA championship, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, two Finals MVP Awards, two NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, Kevin Durant is one of the best NBA players currently in the league.
However, in 2019, while playing for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Kevin Durant would suffer a torn achilles. After having missed 9-games due to strained right calf, he would rejoin the team for Game 5 of the finals and try to drive past former teammate Serge Ibaka, tearing his achilles tendon in the process.
Klay Thompson
Klay Thompson, alongside longtime teammate Steph Curry, has been instrumental in taking the league to a three-point heavy shooting one. Part of the so-called “Splash Brothers”, Klay Thompson is a three-time NBA champion with the Warriors, a five-time NBA All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Third Team honoree. He has also been named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
However, injuries plagued Thompson in recent years. In Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Klay would suffer an ACL tear and would miss the entirety of the 2019–20 season.
He would then suffer a torn achilles tendon while recovering from his knee injury and miss the entire 2020–21 season as well.
John Wall
John Wall, a native of Raleigh, North Carolina and current Houston Rockets player is one of the most adept point guards in the league. Wall would go on to play for the University of Kentucky where he was inducted into the university’s hall of fame.
In 2010, Wall was selected first overall in the NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. He would go on to be a 5-time NBA All-Star, an NBA All-Rookie First Team, and win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
However, in the 2018-19 NBA season, John Wall would suffer a string of season ending injuries. He first was ruled out for the rest of the season with a left heel injury.
After initially undergoing season-ending surgery on his left heel in 2019, Wall developed an infection in the incision from that surgery, then suffered a ruptured left achilles tendon when he slipped and fell in his home. The subsequent achilles tendon injury would have him ruled out for an additional 12 months.
Dwight Powell
Dwight Powell is a Canadian basketball player and current Dallas Mavericks center. He played college basketball at Stanford University and was selected with the 45th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets.
However, On January 21, 2020, in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Powell suffered a season-ending achilles tendon injury while attempting to drive to the basket.
He would, however, make a full recovery and return for the entirety of the 2021-22 NBA season, being one of just four other players to play all 82-games in the regular season that season.
Rodney Hood
Rodney Hood is a small forward who currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Having played for both Mississippi State and Duke before declaring for the NBA Draft, he would be drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 23rd pick in the 2014 NBA draft.
A solid player, Hood has played for the Utah Jazz, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Toronto Raptors, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, in 2019, while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, Hood would suffer a torn achilles in the teams’ loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He would, however, make a full recovery and would resume play in the 2020 NBA season.