PHOENIX — Marcus Smart estimated he’ll be limited to about 20 to 25 minutes in his Lakers preseason debut Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns as he returns from Achilles tendinopathy.
Speaking after the team’s shootaround Tuesday, the 31-year-old guard said the rash of Achilles injuries suffered by NBA stars recently — including three during the playoffs last season — made his initial diagnosis frightening, but he took a cautious approach with the Lakers staff to ensure he was ready for the season.
“It wasn’t scary in the fact of understanding that tendinopathy, we all kind of have it playing over the time,” said Smart, who is entering his 12th NBA season. “Just making sure you do everything you need to do, to make sure that you can get back out here, or to be able to say, ‘No, I can’t.’ So you got to test it, unfortunately, and you got to see where you’re at. So we’ve done all the tests on the court, off the court and we’re feeling fast, feeling good so we want to give it a shot.”
Guard Luka Doncic is also expected to make his preseason debut after he was on a modified training schedule following a busy summer spent with the Slovenian national team. Coach JJ Redick said Monday after practice that Doncic and the team’s training staff had yet to determine a minutes restriction on Doncic, but expects that the five-time All-Star will see an increased workload by the time he suits up again for his second preseason game.
The Lakers will follow Tuesday’s game in Phoenix with a game against Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Because of the back-to-back schedule, it’s likely Doncic will play again Friday at Crypto.com Arena against the Sacramento Kings.
Since they are playing four games in six days, the Lakers ruled out guard Gabe Vincent, forwards Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt and center Jaxson Hayes for Tuesday’s preseason game.
Rookie guard Adou Thiero [knee] has progressed to on-court activities, the team announced Tuesday, after the second-round draft pick was battling swelling in a knee. He will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks.
Ogbene, who has since made the switch to fellow Championship side Sheffield United, said he spent “a lot of hours getting to know my body” and “watching clips” to help him return physically and tactically sharper for pre-season this summer.
“Watching a lot of football for nine months, you learn a lot more. When you’re immersed in it it is 100 miles an hour and the stuff the manager says you don’t really understand but when you’re out of it and watching from the side it’s a really good education,” he explained.
“I spoke to John Egan and Gavin Bazunu, who had previous Achilles [injuries]. I spoke to them about their journeys so I made sure I put those things in my rehab early, and I had a very smooth and successful rehab.
“I’m so glad it has paid off I had a wonderful pre-season and my body has felt as fit and strong as it has ever been so I am excited.”
Ogbene will be hoping to add to his 24 caps for the Republic of Ireland in this international window as they begin their World Cup qualifying campaign.
They host Hungary on Saturday in Dublin before travelling to face Armenia on Tuesday and Ogbene is targeting two wins to help them get their Group F campaign off to a flying start.
“I hope everyone goes in with the mentality that we want to get six points. That’s how the manager sees it and that’s how I see it. I want us to get six, minimum four but I don’t want to sit here and say I want four points,” Ogbene added.
“I think we can beat Hungary if we do the right things and we can beat Armenia. The way the guys are training, we want six points.
“I’m very happy with what I saw [in training] and I have a really good feeling about this camp.”
LAFC defender Aaron Long will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles.
The team — which said the surgery was successful — made the announcement on Tuesday, three days after Long was injured in the 76th minute of a 2-0 win over Dallas.
The 32-year-old Long is in his third season with LAFC and has started all 15 games this year, scoring one goal. He’s started 60 games for the club over the last three seasons.
Long has also made 35 career appearances with the U.S. men’s national team, with three goals and two assists. He was part of the 2022 World Cup roster and last played for the national team in 2023 at the Gold Cup.
LAFC is currently in sixth place in the MLS Western Conference standings with a 9-5-5 record.
Myles Turner has agreed to a four-year deal to join the Milwaukee Bucks, who waived nine-time All-Star Damian Lillard to make the acquisition happen, a person with knowledge of the moves told the Associated Press on Tuesday.
Turner is agreeing to a deal that ends with a player option, after spending the entirety of his first 10 seasons with the Indiana Pacers, who went to the NBA Finals this past season. The remaining $112.6 million owed to Lillard will be paid out over the next five seasons via the NBA’s stretch provision, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because neither move was announced by the clubs.
ESPN, which first reported the plan by the Pacers and Bucks, said Turner agreed to a contract worth $107 million.
In both cases, Achilles tendon injuries played a role in the surprising moves.
Indiana expects to be without star guard Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of next season because he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder while playing through what was diagnosed as a calf strain. Earlier in the playoffs, Lillard ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing for Milwaukee in Round 1 against Indiana.
Lillard is likely to miss most, if not all, of next season. He will be free to sign with anyone he chooses, and teams could simply sign him now, give him a chance to continue his recovery and do so with hope that the seven-time All-NBA selection is ready to go by the start of the 2026-27 season.
“This is an opportunity for Damian to stay home to continue his rehabilitation, take time to decide where he wants to play next, while still being paid his entire contract,” said Aaron Goodwin, Lillard’s agent.
Turner has averaged 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds in his 10 seasons with the Pacers, who had to make a decision this summer about whether to surpass the luxury tax threshold with the knowledge that Haliburton likely will not play this coming season.
Lillard, who turns 35 this month, has averaged 25.1 points and 6.7 assists in 900 regular-season games over 13 seasons — the first 11 with Portland.
The Bucks lost Brook Lopez to the Clippers when free agency opened Monday.
SGA gets extension
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed on a record-setting four-year, $285-million contract extension that would give him the highest single-season average salary in NBA history, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Tuesday.
He is coming off a season when he became the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP and a scoring title while playing for a champion in the same season. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it once, Michael Jordan then did it four times and Shaquille O’Neal was the last entrant into that fraternity until Gilgeous-Alexander joined the club.
Schröder to Kings
Veteran point guard and German Olympic team member Dennis Schröder has agreed to join the Sacramento Kings on a three-year deal, the third of which is not fully guaranteed, a person with knowledge of that agreement said Tuesday. ESPN reported the total value of the deal is $45 million.
Schröder, who is entering his 13th NBA season, is joining his 10th club — and ninth in the last seven years. He spent the first five seasons of his career with Atlanta, then has been with Oklahoma City, the Lakers (twice), Boston, Houston, Toronto, Brooklyn, Golden State and Detroit at various times over the last seven seasons.
He has averaged 13.9 points and 4.9 assists in 849 regular-season games.
A day after having to leave the biggest game of his life, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton shared his first public comments since tearing his right Achilles tendon early in Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
“Words cannot express the pain of this letdown,” Haliburton wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after undergoing surgery Monday to repair the tendon. “The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.”
But for the majority of his five-paragraph post, which Haliburton accompanied with a photo of himself smiling and forming a heart with his hands from a hospital bed, the two-time All Star also delivered a message of optimism and determination. And he did so, in part, by quoting late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who overcame the same injury in 2013.
“I think Kobe said it best when in this same situation,” Haliburton wrote. “‘There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.’
“And that’s exactly right. I will do everything in my power to get back right.”
Bryant’s words were part of a lengthy Facebook post early in the morning on April 13, 2013, hours after tearing his left Achilles tendon while driving to the basket during a game against the Golden State Warriors the previous night. After suffering the injury, Bryant famously stayed in the game long enough to sink two free throws.
In his post, Bryant describes his raw emotions and even uncharacteristically expresses some self-doubt before his famous Mamba Mentality inevitably surfaces.
“All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I’ve done millions of times!” wrote Bryant, who was 34 at the time. “The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen ?!? Makes no damn sense. Now I’m supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??
“I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me…Then again maybe not!
Kobe Bryant writhes in pain after suffering a torn Achilles tendon during a game against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2013, at Staples Center.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“Its 3:30am, my foot feels like dead weight, my head is spinning from the pain meds and Im wide awake. Forgive my Venting but whats the purpose of social media if I wont bring it to you Real No Image?? Feels good to vent, let it out. To feel as if THIS is the WORST thing EVER! Because After ALL the venting, a real perspective sets in.”
That’s where Bryant writes the words that Haliburton quoted.
“We don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run,” Bryant wrote later in the post. “We endure and conquer.”
True to his word, Bryant returned to the floor with the Lakers on Dec. 8, 2013. He dealt with several other injuries — including a knee injury that ended his 2013-14 season just six games after he returned from the Achilles — before retiring at the end of the 2015-16 season, his 20th in the NBA.
More than a decade later, a 25-year-old star is using Bryant’s words as inspiration, days after being unable to help his team in a 103-91 loss to the Thunder with the NBA championship on the line.
Here is Haliburton’s full post:
“Man. Don’t know how to explain it other than shock. Words cannot express the pain of this letdown. The frustration is unfathomable. I’ve worked my whole life to get to this moment and this is how it ends? Makes no sense.
“Now that I’ve gotten surgery, I wish I could count the number of times people will tell me I’m going to ‘come back stronger’. What a cliche lol, this s— sucks. My foot feels like dead weight fam. But what’s hurting most I think is my mind. Feel like I’m rambling, but I know this is something I’ll look back on when I’m through this, as something I’m proud I fought through. It feels good to let this s— out without y’all seeing the kid ugly cry.
“At 25, I’ve already learned that God never gives us more than we can handle. I know I’ll come out on the other side of this a better man and a better player. And honestly, right now, torn Achilles and all, I don’t regret it. I’d do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers. For the chance to do something special.
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton falls to the court with an injury next to Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander during the first quarter of Game 7 of the NBA Finals on June 22.
(Nate Billings / Associated Press)
“Indy, I’m sorry. If any fan base doesn’t deserve this, it’s y’all. But together we are going to fight like hell to get back to this very spot, and get over this hurdle. I don’t doubt for a second that y’all have my back, and I hope you guys know that I have yours. I think Kobe said it best when in this same situation. ‘There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.’ And that’s exactly right. I will do everything in my power to get back right.
“My journey to get to where I am today wasn’t by happenstance, I’ve pushed myself every day to be great. And I will continue to do just that. The most important part of this all, is that I’m grateful. I’m grateful for every single experience that’s led me here. I’m grateful for all the love from the hoop world. I don’t ‘have to’ go through this, I get to go through this. I’m grateful for the road that lies ahead. Watch how I come back from this. So, give me some time, I’ll dust myself off and get right back to being the best version of Tyrese Haliburton.
“Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.’”
Could Achilles injuries be the Achilles heel of the NBA?
Regardless of allegiance, anyone watching Game 7 of the NBA Finals on Sunday had to be struck by the calamitous impact of the injury to superstar Tyrese Haliburton on the Indiana Pacers.
“In that moment, my heart dropped for him,” OKC guard and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters. “I couldn’t imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s not fair.”
It’s also not uncommon. Haliburton was the third superstar lost during the playoffs to an Achilles tear, following Damian Lillard of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
Players who sustained the injury during the regular season include Dejounte Murray of the New Orleans Pelicans, Dru Smith of the Miami Heat and two of Haliburton’s Indiana teammates — Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman.
Regenerative medicine doctor Jesse Morse pointed out in X posts that the high-grade calf strain Haliburton suffered in Game 5 was a precursor to the Achilles injury.
“Hailburton was playing with fire by playing in Games 6 and 7 after being diagnosed with a high-grade calf strain, an injury that is notoriously slow to heal,” Morse wrote. “There was a significantly increased risk of a possible Achilles tear due to him already having the high-grade calf strain, regardless of what the ‘data shows.’
“We saw it with Kobe Bryant. We saw it with Aaron Rodgers. Likely more. A calf strain lead to an Achilles tear.”
Bryant ruptured his left Achilles on April 12, 2013, after playing every minute of eight consecutive quarters as the Lakers pursued a playoff spot with two games remaining in the regular season. Bryant had suffered injuries to his knees earlier in the game. He returned to action eight months later.
Rodgers tore his left Achilles in his first game as quarterback of the New York Jets on Sept. 11, 2023, shortly after he’d experienced tightness in his calf. He missed the entire season but returned in 2024 at age 41.
The Achilles tendon is a fibrous cord that directs movement from the leg to the foot, connecting muscles from the calf to the heel bone. A sudden explosive movement like running or jumping can cause the tendon to tear or rupture.
The origin of term Achilles stems from the hero of that name in Greek mythology. His mother sought to make him immortal by dipping him into a river that held magical powers. She held him by the heel, however, leaving it vulnerable.
Sure enough, the seemingly eternally brave Achilles was killed by an arrow to his heel during the Trojan War. The Achilles’ heel has been known ever since as a metaphor for a person’s vulnerable spot.
Haliburton certainly displayed a knack for heroics all season, culminating in the jump shot he made with 0.3 seconds to play in Game 1 of the Finals that gave the Pacers a victory over the heavily favored Thunder.
He helped them to reach Game 7 and hit a trio of three-point shots early in the contest only to — alas — crumple to the floor when his Achilles tendon popped. The Thunder prevailed, 103-91.
“We needed Ty out there,” Pacers forward Obi Toppin told reporters. “For him to go down in a game like that, that sucked the soul out of us.”
