Thunder's Chet Holmgren to Miss 8-10 Weeks With Small Patellar Tendon Tear in Right Knee

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren will miss 8 to 10 weeks with a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee, the team said, after he underwent a procedure on Friday. ESPN's Shams Charania reported the treatment was a "biological treatment." Holmgren, 24 and an All-Star, last played Sunday against the Clippers, where he reportedly felt mild discomfort in the knee, and has missed the team's two games since. He has appeared in three games this season, averaging 12 points and 9.3 rebounds.

The injury comes days after the Thunder lost Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace for extended periods. Williams had surgery for a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula, and Wallace tore the labrum in his left shoulder, both in the Clippers game. Alex Caruso (ankle), Nikola Topic (back) and Thomas Sorber (knee) are also out. Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in 2022, missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury and nearly three months in 2024-25 with a fractured pelvis.

The right-leaning New York Post goes into the most detail, with a headline calling the Thunder's season a "nightmare" that hits "another low." It lists the Thunder's injured players, says Williams and Wallace may be out for the rest of the season, names stars sidelined around the league such as Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Edwards, and reviews Holmgren's injury history and stats. The left-leaning New York Times keeps to the diagnosis, the 8-to-10-week timeline and his All-Star status, and describes this as the latest injury for the franchise. The sides agree on the injury, the timeline and the Thunder's other absences. They differ mainly in tone and scope: the Post emphasizes losses and the league-wide injury wave, while the Times is more restrained. The alternative-leaning ESPN largely matches the Times, with its own focus on the team's procedure announcement.