Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams has undergone surgery on his broken left leg and dislocated ankle, and the team will not re-evaluate him until shortly before the end of the 2026-27 regular season.
The Thunder announced Wednesday that Williams had a successful procedure to repair a fractured left fibula and reconstruct ligaments in his ankle. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, with Thunder medical staff present. That re-evaluation window means the former All-Star could miss most or all of the season.
Williams went down with 1:14 left in Oklahoma City’s 108-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday. He landed awkwardly on his left leg after contact from Clippers guard Kris Dunn on a drive to the basket, and Dunn was given a Flagrant 1 foul after review, Basketnews reported. The game was stopped for about five minutes as Williams was taken off on a stretcher, according to The Associated Press.
“Dub, as everybody knows, is as tough as they come,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said Monday, according to the AP.
Williams, an All-Star and All-NBA selection, was a key part of the Thunder team that won the 2025 NBA championship. The defending-champion roster has been hit hard early this season: guard Cason Wallace has a torn labrum in his shoulder, the team said.
Now the Thunder are adding help. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X Friday that Oklahoma City is signing forward Ochai Agbaji to fill its open roster spot, citing sources. The team had not officially announced the signing as of Friday morning.
Oklahoma City could also apply for a disabled player exception for Williams and Wallace, NBC Sports reported, which would give the team room to add a player making up to about $15 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. A league doctor would have to rule that the player is very likely to be out past June 15.
Aztimez will update this story if the Thunder release a new timeline.
Sources: the Oklahoma City Thunder, The Associated Press, NBC Sports, Basketnews and ESPN’s Shams Charania (on X).
Photo: “Sunset on the Hoop,” Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 public domain dedication. Generic image; not a photo of the player or team.
