Thunder's Jalen Williams Played Postseason With Wrist Injury, Will Undergo Surgery

This makes what Williams accomplished during the playoffs even more impressive.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams reacts after a play.
Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams reacts after a play. / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams will undergo surgery on a ligament tear in his wrist, The Athletic's Andrew Schlecht reported on Monday. He will be ready to go for the 2025-26 season.

This injury reportedly occurred when the Thunder faced the Phoenix Suns on April 9. Despite suffering the injury, Williams still finished that game with 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes.

Williams was still able to play through the injury during the postseason. It's lucky for Williams and the Thunder that he could still play since the team won the NBA title last week. He averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists throughout the playoffs.

He really shined during the NBA finals vs. the Indiana Pacers. He became just the fifth player over the past 40 seasons to score 25 or more points in three straight NBA Finals games before the age of 25.

Now knowing that Williams was dealing with the wrist injury for months while crushing it on the court makes it even more impressive to see what he accomplished in the playoffs.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.