Blowing out an Achilles is a devastating damage, regardless of the age. However for a veteran NBA participant, it may possibly virtually be a career-ending second.
As each basketball fan is aware of by now, nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard tore his Achilles throughout Milwaukee’s current (temporary) playoff run. He bought surgical procedure on the damage on Friday, Might 2, and is anticipated to overlook the whole lot of 2025-26 as he recovers.
Even with Lillard’s unnatural therapeutic potential, it might be a complete shock if he returns to the NBA hardwood subsequent season. In any case, when Grant Hill tore his Achilles on Jan. 16, 2003, he didn’t return to NBA motion till Nov. 3, 2004. Extra lately, Kevin Durant tore his Achilles through the 2019 NBA Finals on June 10, 2019, and didn’t return till Dec. 22, 2020.
Even with trendy drugs, a torn Achilles is a year-plus layoff, virtually assured.
In line with our analysis, if Lillard misses all of 2025-26 and returns to make an All-Star roster after that, he could be an enormous outlier.
As of now, Anthony Mason is the oldest participant in NBA historical past to overlook a full season as a result of damage and nonetheless make an All-Star look after. Mason was 32 on the time of his damage and form of a weak All-Star choice, too, averaging simply 16 factors and 10 rebounds when he bought picked in ’01. (To his credit score, he was an ideal defender and performed an enormous half in a 50-win Miami crew that 12 months.)
Lillard is at the moment 34 and turns 35 this summer time, so he’d shatter the file of being the oldest participant to make an All-Star crew after lacking a full season as a result of damage… if he’s capable of pull that off.
What’s extra, solely Durant and Tiny Archibald made a couple of All-Star look after lacking a whole season as a result of damage. Oh, and solely Durant Kawhi Leonard made one other All-NBA crew after lacking a full season of their 30s. Of significance to Lillard, the oldest guard to overlook a whole season as a result of damage and return to make an All-Star look after was Archibald, and he was 29 when he bought damage, not 34 like Lillard.
So the percentages are stacked a bit in opposition to Lillard right here.
After all, if anybody can pull it off, it’s Lillard. In any case, he did return from a blood clot concern in lower than a month.
It simply gained’t be simple.
Beneath, take a look at the oldest NBA gamers in league historical past to overlook a whole season and make an All-Star crew after that, a listing Lillard will likely be hoping to hitch sooner or later.
Word: NBA legend Kobe Bryant by no means missed a whole season as a result of damage. However he virtually did, again in 2013-14, his age-35 marketing campaign, when he performed in simply six video games. After he returned, he made two extra All-Star appearances earlier than his profession ended. Nevertheless, these All-Star nods had been extra like nods to his profession as a complete, as a result of in his final two seasons within the NBA, Bryant wasn’t fairly enjoying at an precise All-Star degree.
Once more, that is to say, Lillard severely has his work minimize out for him right here to return to All-Star degree.
MATT CAMPBELL/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Age when he missed a full season: 32
Age of first All-Star after damage: 34
All-Star appearances after damage: 1
Mason missed your entire 1998-99 season as a result of a bicep damage, a troubling concern contemplating he was already 32 years previous. However he got here again at a reasonably stable degree, averaging 13.8 factors, 9.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals in his first two campaigns (’00 and ’01) following his season-long layoff.
In that point, he made one All-Star look, completed eighth in Defensive Participant of the 12 months voting twice and even completed fifteenth in MVP voting in 2000-01 in Miami.
To this present day, Mason stays the oldest participant to overlook a full season as a result of damage and return to make one other All-Star look, a feat Lillard will now seemingly be chasing.
Picture by David Berding/Getty Pictures
Age when he missed a full season: 31
Age of first All-Star after damage: 32
All-Star appearances after damage: 5
All-NBA appearances after damage: 2
Kudos to Durant that he was capable of miss a whole season at 31 years previous and return on the degree he got here again at. In Recreation 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, as a member of the Golden State Warriors, Durant ruptured his Achilles. He wouldn’t return to the NBA hardwood till 18 months later.
Following the season-long layoff, Durant got here again in still-excellent type, making 5 All-Star appearances, two 2nd Crew All-NBAs and ending Prime 10 in MVP voting twice since his Achilles damage.
Durant is the usual for Achilles damage restoration in trendy athletes.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures
Age when he missed a full season: 31
Age of first All-Star after damage: 32
All-Star appearances after damage: 1
As a result of a difficult ankle damage, Hill was compelled your entire 2003-04 season, as a 31-year-old, after he underwent a process by which medical doctors actually re-fractured his ankle to line it again up correctly. Hill suffered a complication after the surgical procedure, too, creating MRSA, which might be very harmful.
Hill’s speedy return after the season-long layoff was promising, as in 2004-05, the previous Duke star put up a 20/4/3 stat line on practically 51 % capturing from the ground, incomes All-Star honors. Hill did get named an All-Star by fan vote that 12 months, although, so perhaps one can query the last word validity of that All-Star choice. He was fairly good, however the Magic had been mediocre total that season. This might have been extra like followers being glad to see Hill again and acting at a excessive degree, in order that they voted him in as an All-Star starter.
That might be the final All-Star look of Hill’s profession, nevertheless. To his credit score, Hill did play one other 9 seasons after lacking his total age-31 marketing campaign, and was a really efficient position participant all the way in which till he was 40, no small feat contemplating simply how injury-riddled he was in his prime.
Picture by Ronald Martinez/Getty Pictures
Age when he missed a full season: 30
Age of first All-Star after damage: 32
All-Star appearances after damage: 1
All-NBA appearances after damage: 1
After tearing his ACL within the 2021 playoffs, Leonard missed your entire 2021-22 season, his age-30 marketing campaign. Though he has missed time right here and there since then as a result of extra damage troubles, when he’s on the market, Leonard stays an All-Star-level participant.
Since his season-long layoff, Leonard has one All-Star and one 2nd Crew All-NBA season, each honors of which got here in 2023-24. Leonard then missed a variety of 2024-25 however did play like an All-Star in his 37 appearances this common season, averaging over 21 factors, 5 rebounds and three assists per recreation whereas securing 1.6 steals nightly.
However Leonard’s damage wasn’t as difficult to come back again from as Lillard’s, and he was significantly youthful than Lillard on the time he missed a whole marketing campaign.
Dick Raphael/NBAE by way of Getty Pictures
Age when he missed a full season: 29
Age of first All-Star after damage: 34
All-Star appearances after damage: 1
All-NBA appearances after damage: 1
On the peak of his absolute prime in 1984-85, New York Knicks legend Bernard King suffered a devastating leg damage, one which included a torn ACL, a torn meniscus and a femur fracture.
The damage, which got here in a season by which King was main the league in scoring at 32.9 factors per recreation, value King your entire ’86 marketing campaign, which might have been his age-29 league 12 months. King would then play simply six video games in 1986-87.
For King to come back again from an damage that ugly in any respect is a testomony to his psychological energy. And the truth that in ’89 and ’90, he’d play in 81 and 82 video games, respectively, was much more spectacular.
The very best particular person season of King’s profession following the horrifying damage got here years later, in 1990-91, when he was named an All-Star and made third Crew All-NBA, and completed sixteenth within the MVP vote. That 12 months, King put up 28.4 factors, 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest, albeit whereas main the league in shot makes an attempt and enjoying for a 30-52 Washington Bullets crew.
Nonetheless, an especially spectacular marketing campaign by King contemplating all he had been by way of bodily at that time.
Malcolm Emmons
Age when he missed a full season: 29
Age of first All-Star after damage: 31
All-Star appearances after damage: 3
All-NBA appearances after damage: 1
After an injury-riddled 1976-77 season with the New York Nets, Corridor of Famer Tiny Archibald was traded to the Buffalo Braves. Sadly for each Archibald and the Braves, the UTEP product by no means performed a minute for the Braves, as he tore his Achilles and missed your entire 1977-78 season, his age-29 marketing campaign.
The truth that Archibald had a Corridor of Fame profession will get all of the extra spectacular whenever you notice that wasn’t even the primary Achilles tear of his profession, however the second. The primary of his got here in 1973-74.
Archibald got here again sturdy from his second Achilles damage, ending Prime 5 within the MVP vote in 1979-80 and being named an All-Star with the Boston Celtics, earlier than then incomes two extra All-Star honors, in addition to one other Prime 10 MVP end and a 2nd Crew All-NBA.
The electrical level guard could be underrated traditionally, as Archibald overcame two Achilles tears to earn a number of All-Star honors in his early to mid-30s.
Archibald is the oldest guard in NBA historical past to make an All-Star look after lacking a whole season as a result of damage.
Can Lillard take that honor from him? It’ll be an uphill battle, but when anybody can do it, it’s somebody like Lillard.
