NBA Boilers: Grizzlies All-Rookie Center Zach Edey to Undergo Surgery
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NBA All-Rookie center and Memphis Grizzlies star Zach Edey could miss the start of the 2025-26 season due to offseason surgery, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania. Per the report, the former Purdue superstar and 7-foot-4 center re-injured his left ankle during an offseason workout.
Edey re-sprained his ankle and will undergo surgery this offseason. Although a timeline for his return is unknown at this time, it is expected that he will miss at least a portion of his second NBA season.
"After consulting with the Grizzlies and multiple specialists, we decided this is the best approach for Zach long-term as it gets him back to 100% with no limitations. He will make a full recovery and be back better than ever," said Mark Bartelstein, Edey's representative.
Edey was a first-team NBA All-Rookie Team for the 2024-25 season after averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game for the Grizzlies. He appeared in 66 regular-season games, two games in the Play-In Tournament, and four playoff games during his rookie season in Memphis.
He missed 16 games due to injury.
The Grizzlies selected Edey with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft after a dominant career at Purdue. He was a two-time National Player of the Year in college and left as the program's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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