Celtics' Jayson Tatum is the latest of many star athletes who've torn an Achilles tendon
Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grimaces as he falls to the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
Milwaukee Bucks' Damian Lillard grimaces as he falls to the floor against the Indiana Pacers during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series Sunday, April 27, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
The diagnosis of a torn Achilles tendon for All-Star forward Jayson Tatum is a devastating blow to the defending champion Boston Celtics and the second injury of its kind during the NBA playoffs.
Seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks tore his left Achilles tendon during a loss to the Indiana Pacers on April 28.
Advertisement
The 27-year-old Tatum tore his right Achilles tendon on Monday night against the New York Knicks when he lunged toward a loose ball and his leg gave out. He buried his face in a towel in obvious pain while grabbing at his leg above the ankle after the non-contact injury.
The Knicks won 121-113 to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. The series resumes Wednesday in Boston with the Celtics needing to win to stay alive in the playoffs.
Other notable athletes who have come back from a torn Achilles tendon:
Aaron Rodgers
The four-time NFL MVP tore his left Achilles tendon on Sept. 11, 2023, four snaps into his first year with the New York Jets. He was hurt as he tried to avoid a rushing Leonard Floyd, who wrapped up the quarterback and spun him down to the MetLife Stadium turf. Rodgers, 39 at the time, returned to practice in an astonishing 77 days after surgery but did not play again until Sept. 9, 2024. The Jets released him in March, and he's undecided on playing in 2025.
Advertisement
Kobe Bryant
The late Basketball Hall of Famer tore an Achilles tendon on April 12, 2013, had surgery the next day and returned to the court with the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 8, 2013, at age 35. Bryant played only six games before a knee injury forced him to miss the rest of the season. Bryant averaged 22.3 points in only 35 games in 2014-15 and 17.6 points in 66 games in his last season in 2015-16.
Kevin Durant
The two-time NBA Finals MVP tore an Achilles tendon on June 13, 2019, playing for Golden State in Game 4 of the championship round. He missed a full season and came back with the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 22, 2020, at age 32. Durant hasn't played more than 55 games in any season since his return but he's been elite, averaging 28.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three seasons since the injury.
Advertisement
Dominique Wilkins
The Basketball Hall of Famer tore an Achilles tendon on Jan. 28, 1992. He returned to the court with the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 6, 1992, just two months shy of turning 33. Wilkins averaged 29.9 points in his first season back and played seven more years, including two stints overseas.
Brandon Graham
The Philadelphia Eagles defensive end tore an Achilles tendon on Sept. 19, 2021, and returned for the season opener Sept. 11, 2022, at age 34. Graham had his best season as a pro last year, posting a career-high 11 sacks.
Ryan Howard
The 2006 NL MVP tore an Achilles tendon on the final swing of a postseason series on Oct. 7, 2011. Howard returned to the lineup with the Philadelphia Phillies on July 6, 2012, at age 32. The big slugger was never the same, however. Howard averaged 44 homers and 133 RBIs in a six-year span before the injury. He averaged 19/66 over the next five.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
JJ Redick saw Tyrese Haliburton's potential three years ago
JJ Redick saw Tyrese Haliburton's potential three years ago Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers has been a rising star for some time now, but over the last several weeks, he has become perhaps as dangerous a player as there is in the NBA. During the regular season, there were quite a few people who thought he was overrated, and he wasn't even named to this year's All-Star team. But he has exploded during the playoffs and hit a number of clutch and game-winning shots, including the dagger he nailed just before time expired in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick may have seen at least some of this coming. In February 2022, when the Sacramento Kings traded Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers along with Buddy Hield and Tristan Thompson for Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday and Jeremy Lamb, Redick said point-blank that Haliburton was the best player on the Kings. "This is some form of malpractice on the Kings' part," Redick said of the trade. "... Tyrese Haliburton has been the best player on that team. ... He was determined to turn things around and be part of that rebuild in Sacramento. I know he's shocked right now, but they traded away their best player." The Kings took Haliburton with the No. 12 pick in the 2020 draft, and at the time, he was starting in their backcourt alongside De'Aaron Fox. Fox was putting up much better scoring numbers, and to this day, he has continued to average more points than Haliburton, but Haliburton has been the better 3-point shooter, passer and facilitator. Haliburton led the NBA in assists per game last season, and he now has Indiana just three wins away from an NBA championship. Meanwhile, Sacramento made the playoffs in 2023 as the third seed in the Western Conference but has failed to reach the playoffs in both of the last two seasons.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen is impressed by rookie linemen: 'They have great motors'
During his press conference on Wednesday, Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen praised the work of two rookie defensive linemen so far at OTAs. "Well, the two are really good. I mean, when you study the draft and our scouting staff, led by our general manager, Brett Veach," said Cullen, "they do a great job, and they were guys that we identified and had opportunities to really get around and bring them in for a visit, Zoom with them. They both love football, and they're both football junkies, and they're really good players." Advertisement The Chiefs added the two defensive standouts, selecting Tennessee's Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round with the 63rd pick and Louisville's Ashton Gillotte in the third round with the 66th pick. "Well, they have great motors; they're powerful, explosive, and sudden. And both of them at their school, where they're represented, great in their role," said Cullen, "When you look at Omarr (Norman-Lott), when you broke down his snaps this past year, he led the NCAA and pass rush win ratio by interior tackles. And then Ashton (Gillotte) played all over the place. He played end and inside. '4i' was powerful. He was explosive when he went back to his junior year. Before his sophomore year, he had 11 and a half sacks. He was playing more on the edge. This year, they moved them inside a little bit. It's a '4i' kind of like Felix (Anudike-Uzomah) did when he was at K-State. So both those guys are going to bring great energy to the room, and they're doing that now." During his last season at Louisville, Gillotte earned Second-team All-ACC honors. He led the Cardinals with 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and started 12 games with 43 total tackles. Norman-Lott recorded 44 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery in his two seasons at Tennessee. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: Kansas City Chiefs DL coach Joe Cullen is impressed by rookie linemen
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sixers draft history: Jahlil Okafor selected No. 3 overall in 2015
With the NBA draft right around the corner, now is the time to look at some past drafts and see what the Philadelphia 76ers have done in their history. The Sixers have selected some big-time players in the past who have become an important part of the fabric of the franchise's history. This edition focuses on the 2015 draft as the Sixers held the No. 3 pick as they looked to move forward. With that selection, Philadelphia took Duke big man Jahlil Okafor as there was not a Joel Embiid showing just yet. Advertisement Okafor was very good as a rookie as he averaged 17.5 points and 7.0 rebounds on a Sixers team that went 10-72. He finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting and was able to show a lot of production and promise on the floor. Overall, he played 105 games across three seasons in Philadelphia before being sent to the Brooklyn Nets early in 2017-18 with the emergence of Embiid. Okafor played 26 games for the Nets before playing three years for the New Orleans Pelicans and a season with the Detroit Pistons in 2020-21. He was out of the league for three years before playing a game for the Indiana Pacers in the 2024-25 season. This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers draft history: Jahlil Okafor selected No. 3 overall in 2015
