Monday was supposed to mark the joyous return of NBA superstar Kevin Durant after straining his calf. Early in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday, Durant re-injured the same leg.
On Wednesday, Durant confirmed that he underwent surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon. Durant made the announcement via Instagram.
"My road back starts now! I got my family and my loved ones by my side and we truly appreciate all the messages and support people have sent our way," Durant said.
"Like I said Monday, I'm hurting deeply, but I'm OK. Basketball is my biggest love and I wanted to be out there that night because that’s what I do. I wanted to help my teammates on our quest for the three peat."
Durant's return to the lineup has prompted questions as to why he was cleared to play on Monday. Warriors GM Bob Myers, in an emotional postgame news conference, accepted responsibility for the decision to play Durant, which ultimately could cause him to miss some or even all of the 2019-20 season.
"He was cleared to play tonight; that was a collaborative decision. I don't believe there's anybody to blame, but I understand in this world and if you have to, you can blame me. I run our basketball operations department. And to tell you something about Kevin Durant, Kevin Durant loves to play basketball, and the people that questioned whether he wanted to get back to this team were wrong," Myers said.
"And I'm not here to -- he's one of the most misunderstood people. He's a good teammate, he's a good person, it's not fair. I'm lucky to know him. I don't know -- I don't have all the information on what really the extent of what it all means until we get a MRI, but the people that worked with him and cleared him are good people, they're good people."
Now his Warriors' teammates will have to return to work on Thursday down 3-2 in the best-of-7 series against Toronto knowing their best player will not return this season.
"I know my brothers can get this Game 6, and I will be cheering with dub nation while they do it," Durant said.
Adding insult to injury is that Durant is a free agent at the end of the month. While Durant is still likely to sign a large contract, the injury could decrease his value in the market.
