Jalen Williams suffers gruesome ankle injury as Thunder star is stretchered off to standing ovation - Watch Video

The Sunday night turned out to be a sad one for the Oklahoma City Thunder despite yet another hard-fought victory. Thunder team’s star guard, Jalen Williams, broke his left ankle while playing against the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams, 25, fell awkwardly underneath the basket during the last quarter of the match and had to be stretchered off from the court, causing shock among his teammates. Some of the players were seen almost crying as doctors rushed to his aid. Oklahoma City managed to eke out a close win with a score of 108-101, but the victory took a back seat in view of Williams’ condition.

HOW JALEN WILLIAMS SUFFERED THE FRIGHTENING INJURY

The frightening incident occurred with just 1:14 remaining in the game when Williams drove toward the basket and was fouled. He went down underneath the hoop and immediately required medical attention.

Both teams’ players looked visibly concerned as the medical staff swarmed around Williams. Towels were placed over his injured ankle while a stretcher was brought onto the court.

The match was halted for about five minutes until play could resume. The scenes of emotion completely drowned out the seven-point win for Oklahoma City, and everything became about Williams' health.

Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to contain his emotions during his postgame televised interview.

"Just feel bad for him," Gilgeous-Alexander said, fighting back tears. "Nothing more than that."

WHAT IS THE LATEST ON JALEN WILLIAMS' INJURY?

The Thunder did not immediately announce an official diagnosis, leaving uncertainty surrounding the extent of Williams' injury and how long he might be sidelined.

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said the team expected an update on Williams' condition Monday morning.

"We're not doing great," Daigneault admitted, as quoted by ESPN, while describing the team's emotional state.



According to ESPN, Williams has already endured injury setbacks, missing 49 games last season because of various leg problems, primarily involving his hamstrings.

The All-Star and All-NBA guard played an important role in Oklahoma City's 2025 championship run and entered Sunday's contest averaging 18 points across his first 250 NBA appearances.

"We don’t have a choice," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "It’s what we signed up for. It’s obviously going to be tough without a player like that. He’s not gone forever. He’ll be back better than ever. We know it. We’ve just got to hold the fort down until he comes back."