Rockets Guard Fred VanVleet Suffers Possible Season-Ending Torn ACL

Houston likely lost their starting guard before the 2025-26 season tips off.

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL ahead of the 2025-26 season. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Rockets guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday. Although it hasn't been officially determined, it's likely VanVleet could miss the entire season while he recovers.

This is a big loss for Houston, as VanVleet has been the team's starting point guard the past two seasons.

VanVleet tore his ACL while participating in the Rockets' minicamp in the Bahamas, Yahoo! Sports' Kelly Iko reported. VanVleet is expected to undergo surgery this week.

During the 2024-25 season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals. He averaged in the top three on the Rockets for assists per game, steals per game and three pointers (2.7) made per game. The Rockets reached the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season, losing to the Warriors in seven games in the first round.

VanVleet signed a two-year, $50 million contract extension with Houston back in June. The deal also includes a player option for the 2026-27 season.

---

More NBA on Sports Illustrated

feed