Utah Jazz's Walker Kessler Opens Up on Season-Ending Injury

Just under two weeks into the NBA regular season, the Utah Jazz would have their starting center, Walker Kessler, ruled out for the entire campaign due to season-ending shoulder surgery on a torn left labrum—a previous injury that had been aggravated early in the year that now forces the big man to the side until 2026-27.

The torn labrum, though, is far from a new injury for Kessler. He actually first injured that shoulder during his time in college at Auburn, which hadn't been much of a major issue until now, and something he's played through his entire NBA career.

The issue would flare up from time to time, as it did earlier in the preseason this year, but after being aggravated on so many occasions, the doctors would officially declare that Kessler would need surgery to get it fixed and prevent any further issues.

A bummer for the short-term that puts his fourth seasons to an abrupt halt, but should help him immensely moving forward into his career–– and it's something Kessler himself is excited to see come to form.

"Finally to have [my shoulder] 100%, I'm looking forward to when I can start playing again and feel how it feels when I'm playing," Kessler said of his injury during a recent presser.

"Just been attacking rehab every day. It's a day-by-day process, obviously, a long process, but it's going really well. I've got good range of motion right now. So, just going for it."

Walker Kessler Looking Forward to Be 100%

For Kessler, that years-long injury now being fixed could even lead to another step forward in his potential that has yet to be unlocked–– perhaps having a better range of motion and a more consistent ability to contest and block shots. Even Kessler sees a way for the surgery to make him even better coming out of it.

"You could definitely say that [I haven't reached my full potential]," Kessler said. "It's hard for me- it's kind of like, I don't know, just because I didn't have it fully healthy [coming into the league], but anything fully healthy isn't going to do worse to you. To have it fully healthy, but to be fully confident in it... I'm going to be great next year, and I'm really, really looking forward to it."

Oct 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) reacts for a rebound against Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Kessler had gotten off to a career-best start with the Jazz before he would inevitably go down with the months-long injury. In five games, he was averaging 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on over 70% shooting from the field.

No doubt, a bummer for Kessler to take on less than 10 games into the year, but sure enough, his teammates have helped support him in the meantime to help make the rehab process a bit easier.

"The first day I said I was getting surgery, basically all of my teammates have texted me. I'm still very involved. I show up to film, I go to practice, do my rehab during practice in the locker room. So, really engaged with [my teammates], and they've been awesome."

"They haven't made me feel like I'm isolated from the team. They've all been great teammates. We're all still cutting up. They're not messing with me as much with my shoulder, but it's been really good."

Soon enough, Kessler will be back in the fold and at 100% for the Jazz, hopefully on a new contract extension over the course of this offseason to ink him as a cornerstone for the long haul. But until then, he'll be working behind the scenes to get back to full health.

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