Kevin Durant’s miraculous comeback from injury can be considered a ‘one of one’ phenomenon in sports medicine. His Achilles rupture during the 2019 NBA Finals sidelined him for a year and a half and he returned with stats matching his pre-injury self, if not better. Lakers HC JJ Redick, finds it remarkable.
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“I had a partial tear and an overgrown heel bone that required surgery. It ended my career. And he [Durant] had a full rupture. He came back and is still playing at an All-NBA level. It’s just remarkable,” said Redick, ahead of LA’s game against Durant’s Phoenix Suns.
JJ Redick said Kevin Durant is one of the “most talented” and “hardest working” players and marvels how he has returned from an Achilles rupture and still playing at an elite level.
Redick’s career ended with a Achilles injury. #Suns pic.twitter.com/fKHWv6yHRU
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) October 26, 2024
Redick was forced into retirement due to ‘Haglund’s’ (overgrown heel bone) prior to the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. He had just played 13 games as a Dallas Maverick.
Each and every athlete’s body is different. So it is not fair to compare injuries. However, the Achilles injury we are talking about is something no athlete has ever made a comeback from. Forget a grand reentry like how KD has done.
Below are KD’s pre-Achilles injury stats and the stats he’s averaged post recovering from it (updated up till March 2024).
| Kevin Durant | Points per Game | Assists per Game | Rebounds per Game | Field Goal Percentage | 3-Point Percentage |
| Pre Achilles | 27 | 4.1 | 7 | 49.3% | 38.1% |
| Post Achilles | 28.4 | 5.5 | 7.1 | 53.4% | 41.2% |
Granted, the number of games KD played following his injury aren’t close to how many he played prior to it. However, it is still a substantial number of outings.
These numbers substantiate JJ’s comment that Durant is one of the “most talented” and “hardest working” players he’s ever seen.
Durant admits his career flashed before his eyes during injury
Though it may not seem like it given the way he’s been playing the past few years, but Durant believed his basketball career was all but finished when his Achilles ruptured. In an interview with business partner, Rich Kleiman, he spoke on the moment he felt the tear.
“There’s 20,000 people in there and I heard a pop so I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh’ and my whole basketball career just flashed before my eyes. Everything, everything I did, everything that I thought about, all my favorite moments, all my bad moments, it flashed.”
He admitted earlier that he knew that very moment that he wouldn’t be returning to the Golden State Warriors. This is not surprising as Durant had become an unfavorable character on the roster considering his locker room chemistry with players like Draymond Green.
Teaming up with his close friend, Kyrie Irving, at the ‘little brother’ Brooklyn Nets seemed like the fresh start he needed. In terms of establishing his basketball prowess, joining the Nets was a great decision. While they never got past the ECSF and he eventually got traded, it’s heartwarming to see KD, in his 18th season, still hooping at an All-NBA level.
