6 NBA Players Whose Careers Were Changed Forever by Achilles Injuries

Basketball fans across the nation were left in utter shock after Kevin Durant went down in the second quarter of Game 5 on Monday while attempting to drive on Serge Ibaka. The original reports indicated that the 10-time All-Star suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and on Wednesday, Durant himself confirmed those notions in an emotional Instagram post-surgery.

It goes without saying that a ruptured Achilles is one of the more severe injuries an athlete can suffer and its worth pondering if KD will be the same player when he returns to the court roughly 12 months from now.

With that in mind, let's take a look at some players throughout NBA history whose careers were forever altered by this devastating injury.

6. Maurice Taylor

Prior to suffering a ruptured achilles in a 2001 offseason workout, Taylor was a promising young player for the Rockets and Clippers, averaging 14 points and 5 rebounds in his first four seasons out of Michigan. Though he managed to play 286 more games in his career, Taylor never boasted the same explosiveness and averaged just 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds after returning to the court.

5. Elton Brand

Just ahead of his 10th year in the Association, Brand ruptured his left achilles tendon during an offseason workout. Through his first nine seasons, Elton was a force to be reckoned with, averaging a double-double at 20 points and 10 rebounds. Upon returning from the injury, the two-time All-Star posted just 12 points and 7 boards in his last seven seasons in the league.

4. Gerald Wilkins

Gerald was never the star that his brother Dominique was, but he was always considered a solid player in the Association, primarily known for his slashing and defending. However, his career dropped off the shelf after suffering a ruptured achilles tendon ahead of the 1994-1995 season. The "Jordan Stopper" went from averaging 14 points to just 7.7 in his four seasons post-surgery.

3. Mehmet Okur

Throughout his 10 seasons in the NBA, Okur was widely recognized as a stretch four who held a 37.5% from three over his career. ruptured his Achilles’ tendon during the 2010 playoffs while playing for the Jazz and his career 13.8 points per game clip dropped to a shade over 6 ppg. Not to mention his three-point percentage plummeted. He played two seasons after the injury until he was waived by the Trailblazers, and retired. 

2. Christian Laettner

During the 1998 offseason, Laettner ruptured his Achilles during a pickup game at Duke University, before which he averaged over 16 points and just under 8 rebounds per game in 462 games. Though he returned to the court in six short months, he was never the same player, averaging just 8.4 points and 5.2 boards per game in 406 games for the remainder of his career.

1. Isiah Thomas

The Hall of Fame point guard's career was cut short due to an achilles injury suffered in April of 1994 during his 13th season in the league. And that was the last we saw of the great Isiah Thomas. In that 1993-94 season, he still proved to be a valuable point guard, averaging 14 points and 7 assists per game, which speaks volumes to just how difficult it was to come back from the injury. It literally ended his career.