Jalen Williams had to be taken off the court on a stretcher after he sustained a gruesome lower-leg injury as he went up for a layup late in the Thunder’s 108-101 win over the Clippers.
The scary injury had players and fans alike in shock, with Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander visibly shaken while team trainers and medical personnel attended to Williams on the Paycom Center court.
Williams drove to the net for a basket when he got sandwiched between two Clippers players as he went for the layup and went flailing to the ground. His left leg got caught underneath him as it hit the ground and bent awkwardly, resulting in the injury.
A team trainer immediately put a towel over the All-Star wing’s left leg to cover the injury, while team staff frantically waved over the medical staff and the stretcher.
The ESPN broadcast showed Gilgeous-Alexander with his jersey covering his face, while other members of the Clippers were also seen visibly upset about what had just happened.
Chants of “JDub” broke out from the fans as Williams was being tended to, and he was given a standing ovation as he was stretchered off the court.
Williams was seen giving the fans two thumbs up.
An emotional Gilgeous-Alexander said, “I just feel bad for him,” as he fought back tears.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault told reporters after the game that “we’re not doing great” when reacting to the injury.
“Those are tough, man,” he said. “We’re not doing great. That’s tough on the guys. Everyone empathizes; I think both teams in those situations and so not doing great.”
He added that the injury “speaks for itself” and that he would have more information on Williams on Monday.
Williams was coming off an injury-plagued season in 2025-26 in which he played just 33 games while dealing with strains in both hamstrings and a nagging shooting wrist injury.
