Suns’ Kevin Durant believed his 2019 NBA Finals Achilles injury would end his career

Kevin Durant has enjoyed nearly two decades of success as one of the most dangerous players that the NBA has ever seen. However, when Durant suffered a torn Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals, he thought that his NBA career might be over.

“That’s when I knew, I’m like ‘I’m probably wouldn’t go back to the Bay again.’ It’s 20,000 people in there and I heard a pop. So I’m like ‘oh my gosh,’ and my whole basketball career flashed before my eyes,” Durant said during a conversation with Boardroom.

Durant suffered the devastating injury in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals while playing for the Golden State Warriors. This came after Durant had suffered a right calf strain during Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets earlier in the postseason. Durant missed nine games due to the calf strain, but made his return in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. He made it just two minutes into the second quarter before suffering the season-ending injury.

That ended up finishing up his career with the Warriors as he signed a four-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets that summer and teamed up with Kyrie Irving. Durant sat out the 2019-20 season then spent the next three seasons with the Nets before being traded to the Phoenix Suns before the 2023 trade deadline.

Several years later, Durant is still one of the top shooters in the league and has rebounded in a big way. The Suns are currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference and Durant is leading the team with 28.2 points per game.