Kevin Durant revealed he had actually had a second "crack" in his right foot when he underwent a season-ending third surgery last March.
Kevin Durant says he broke his foot a second time last season
When Durant was shut down for the season last March, it was more serious than he let on at the time.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Durant is healthy now and practicing at Team USA’s Las Vegas minicamps, although he skipped Thursday’s scrimmage. But in an enlightening article by Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, Durant admitted that his injury last season was even more serious than he or the team disclosed at the time.
When Durant was shut down after the All-Star break after playing only 27 games, the reason given was “signs of regression” in his foot. The team didn’t reveal the second crack at the time. Durant also said that he underwent a controversial procedure one that uses bone graft material not approved by the FDA. The nature of the surgery also required a longer recovery time.
While the bone -- Durant’s fifth metatarsal -- is safe to play on, it will continue to heal a small amount over the next year. As a result, Durant has had to cut out some of his usual on-court work.
“I can’t do too much no more,” he told Bleacher Report. “I love putting in work. I love being out on the court. But early on, I have to ease back into that part of it -- two-a-days or working out after practice or working out when I land in a city or whatever I used to do. I’ve got to ease into it, and as time goes on, just get back into my routine.”
Durant originally returned on Dec. 2 last season from the Jones fracture suffered in October, but he was out of the lineup by the end of the month. He underwent a second surgery when a screw inserted for the surgery irritated his cuboid bone and then had the third one in March.
Doctors say Durant is totally healthy and at no real risk of re-injury, and his injury isn’t the navicular bone, which derailed the career of big man Yao Ming and others. However, people around the NBA have to feel a modicum of nervousness about Durant after the complications caused by the bone break, especially the many general managers who may pursue him next offseason when he becomes a free agent.
Regardless, the NBA has suffered too many major injuries to stars. Here’s hoping Durant will be himself again next season.
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