Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant, widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players ever, recently revealed that he was unaware a calf strain could result in an Achilles tendon rupture—a situation he experienced during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Durant admitted, “If I had known that, I would have made a different choice. Had someone told me my Achilles could be compromised, I probably wouldn’t have played.”
The 2019 Finals marked the conclusion of Durant’s tenure with the Golden State Warriors, where he had helped secure back-to-back championships and three straight Finals appearances. Durant initially suffered a calf strain in the 2019 playoffs, causing him to miss the entire Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers. He also missed the first four games of the Finals but returned in Game 5. Durant ended his participation after that game, and the Warriors eventually fell to the Toronto Raptors in six games, missing out on a three-peat. During a podcast interview with teammate Fred VanVleet on “Unguarded,” Durant explained that he never thought an Achilles injury was likely, even referencing Kobe Bryant’s Achilles rupture in 2013.
At that time, Achilles injuries were not as common among marquee players like Durant and Bryant, but this has changed in recent years. Players such as Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum all tore their Achilles tendons last season. Additionally, former Warriors player Klay Thompson suffered a torn Achilles in late 2020 while still recovering from an ACL injury sustained after Durant’s departure.
While this trend might reflect the evolving nature of the game, it’s puzzling that Durant wasn’t cautioned about the risk of an Achilles injury stemming from his calf strain, especially given the severity of such an injury.
Fan Take: This revelation is a stark reminder of how crucial injury awareness and prevention are for athletes, especially in a high-stakes environment like the NBA Finals. For basketball fans, it highlights the fragility of even the greatest players and might push teams to invest more in medical education and care to protect their stars and the integrity of the sport.
