Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jalen Williams was carted off the court on a stretcher after suffering an apparent leg injury. Williams was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Williams went up for a dunk, but landed awkwardly after taking a block, his left leg appearing to collapse beneath him. He was quickly surrounded by staff before being loaded onto a stretcher.
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The Paycom Center crowd remained silent as Williams was treated. The guard gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he was on the stretcher, with the audience giving Williams a standing ovation and chanting “J-Dub” in support as he was ejected.
Kris Dunn, who made contact with Williams while coming down from the dunk, was called for a careless closing foul and was assessed by the referees as a blatant 1. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was visibly emotional alongside his teammates after Williams’ fall, made both blatant free throws on Williams’ behalf.
Both teams then had to finish out the final minute and 15 seconds remaining in the match; Oklahoma City won 108-101.
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After the victory, Gilgeous-Alexander broke down in tears during his post-match interview.
“I just feel bad for him,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his longtime OKC teammate. “Nothing more than that.”
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault echoed that sentiment during his postgame press conference, saying he didn’t have any news on Williams yet.
“It’s tough, man. We’re not doing very well. It’s tough for the guys,” Daigneault said, via Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder. “I’m not doing very well.”
Williams missed much of last season due to various injuries, including a hamstring injury that kept him out of several NBA Finals games. He only played 33 games last year.
This story will be updated.
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