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Mackenzie Holmes Plans Knee Surgery, Declares For 2024 WNBA Draft
Mackenzie Holmes posted on social media Wednesday that she will undergo knee surgery in May. She's still projected to be taken in Monday's 2024 WNBA Draft and said she will be ready for the start of 2025 training camp.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After becoming the all-time leading scorer in Indiana women's basketball history, Mackenzie Holmes approaches the next chapter of her career.
She's out of collegiate eligibility following five seasons as a Hoosier and has declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft. The draft is scheduled for Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and it will be broadcast on ESPN.
ESPN's mock draft published Wednesday projects Holmes to be selected 19th overall by the Connecticut Sun out of 36 total picks. The 2024 WNBA regular season tips off on May 14, and the WNBA Finals could go as late as October 20.
However, Holmes shared Wednesday on social media that she will undergo knee surgery in May to address reoccurring knee issues. Holmes wrote that she will be ready for the start of training camp in 2025, but it appears she could miss her entire rookie season.
Here's Holmes' full message regarding her injury and WNBA future.
"As many of you know during my time as a Hoosier my career was interrupted multiple times due to a reoccurring issue with my knee, that has been present since my 9th grade year in high school," Holmes posted to social media on Wednesday. "My major focus at these times was to get back on the court as quickly as possible to be with my teammates and help our team succeed.
"While the entire medical staff at IU was wonderful in doing everything to rehabilitate and prevent the injury, all while getting me back on the court safely, I never took the steps to correct the porblem and the damage it caused."
"However, at this time to ensure my body is healthy and my playing career is as long and successful as possible, I have decided to get the necessary surgery in May to prevent further issues and alleviate the pain it has caused."
"I have declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft and pray that a team honors me with a selection knowing I will be ready for the start of the 2025 training camp. Your support, thoughts, and prayers at this time are appreciated!"
Though Holmes battled knee injuries during her Indiana career, they didn't stop her from becoming an all-time great Hoosier. She became the program's first ever first-team All-Amercan in 2022-23 and its first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Holmes helped Indiana make its deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history, reaching the Elite Eight in 2021, in addition to Sweet 16 runs in 2022 and 2024. In 2023, Indiana won its first regular season Big Ten title since 1983 and earned its first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Holmes averaged at least 10.8 points per game in all five seasons, including a career-high 22.3 during the 2022-23 season. Indiana set a program record with 28 wins in 2022-23, and won its second most games in program history in 2023-24 with 26.
Following a loss to No. 1 overall seed South Carolina, the eventual national champions, in the Sweet 16, Holmes expressed gratitude for her time as a Hoosier.
“I just pray that every student-athlete gets to feel the way I feel about a school, because they deserve it,” Holmes said. “Accomplishments aside, I've met friends that have turned into family here at Indiana, people that I'll have with me for the rest of my life … I'm just very, very thankful that Coach Moren saw something in me, offered me to play here, and that I've gotten the chance to play five years under her with some really, really special people.”
