Thunder the wing Jalen Williams broke fibula and sprained ankle in left leg, will undergo surgery, head of basketball Sam Presti announced at a news conference Monday, as reported by Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (Twitter references).
Presti added that Williams was in good spirits and very optimistic about the situation. A return schedule will be provided after the procedure.
Presti also provided an update, according to Martinez Cason Wallacewho has a torn labrum in his left shoulder, another injury that requires surgery. Like Williams, Wallace is out indefinitely at this point as a return timetable will be given after surgery.
ESPN’s Shams Charania (Link to Twitter) says both players are expected to miss several months.
It’s an absolutely devastating blow for the Thunder, who have won a championship in 2025 with Williams and Wallace playing key roles. In 2024/2025, Williams made his first All-Star and NBA All-Star appearances and averaged 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.4 steals while not missing a single game in the 2025 postseason despite a major wrist injury.
Williams underwent surgery on his right wrist shortly after the title race and was sidelined for the start of last season as he recovered from that injury. Last fall, he needed a second procedure on his wrist.
The 25-year-old forward, who is in the first year of a five-year rookie max extension, also missed significant time last season with multiple hamstring strains, an injury that will keep him out of most of the 2026 playoffs — appearing in just five of Oklahoma City’s 15 postseason games.
Williams suffered fractured fibula and sprained ankle with about 1:15 left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win against the Clippers. He flopped hard in the air while driving to the rim, and his left leg caught under his entire body weight as he fell (Link to video on Twitter).
After the injury, Williams’ ankle was bent the wrong way. He had to be carried out of the site.
The 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Wallace averaged 8.6 ppg, 3.1 ppg, 2.6 ppg and 1.9 ppg on .432/.351/.809 shooting in 77 games last season, including 58 starts (26.6 ppg). He also performed well in the playoffs, which played a role in both his lucrative extension and the team’s decision to trade him Lugentz is there this is atlanta.
Oklahoma City was again considered one of the main contenders for the championship in the 2026/27 season. The Thunder lost to the Spurs in last season’s Western Conference Finals in a hard-fought seven-game sweep.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks points out (Twitter references), the Thunder can apply for disabled player exceptions for both Williams and Wallace, but an NBA-designated physician must believe they are absent by June 15 to approve them. The DPE for Williams would be just over $15 million, while the potential DPE for Wallace would be $3.7 million.
The Thunder, who have 14 players on their standard roster, are currently above the first tax bracket and below the second, but they are not drastic. If allowed, they could theoretically use one of these DPEs (or one of them three notable exceptions are traded players) to add a 15th man, but DPEs don’t give a team additional roster space, Marks notes.
Martinez shared Presti’s full press conference (Link to video on Twitter). Presti began by acknowledging the serious nature of the injuries (Link to video on Twitter).
“Obviously last night was rough. There is no other way to paint it” said Presti.We keep saying within our walls that there is a difference between positivity and optimism. I’m not going to sit here and say this is exactly where we want to be or what we’d like to have. But at the same time, we are very optimistic about the recovery of both players. Most importantly, it could have been a lot worse.”
While there’s obviously no replacing the contributions of Williams and Wallace, the Thunder will have to rely on key reserves such as Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso and Jared McCain for more minutes and production in the coming months. It should be noted that Nikola Tema and Thomas Sorber currently also.
Presti was also discussed Atega Owewho was recently rejected from a two-way contract, according to Martinez (Link to Twitter). The 2026 second-round pick suffered a preseason Achilles tear and Presti said the organization will support him as he recovers.
According to Michael Scott of HoopsHype (Link to Twitter), Presti was asked about the possibility of a call Russell Westbrook to see if he would be interested in coming out of retirement amid the injuries to Williams and Wallace.
“I didn’t think anything about (15th) on the list… It’s a huge challenge, but it’s what we’re doing and what we signed up for” Presti said.
In the last three seasons, the Thunder held the best record in the West, winning 57, 68 and 64 games. They are currently 3-0.