Celtics’ Jayson Tatum the latest sports star to suffer a non-contact Achilles tear

In the final minutes of Monday night’s Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, the Celtics suffered a series blow that extends far beyond the game or even the series.

As Celtics forward Jayson Tatum dove forward towards a loose ball, his leg moved awkwardly, and he immediately twisted onto his back and laid on the floor.

Boston took a timeout, and Tatum writhed in pain, clutching around his right ankle. He was eventually walked off the floor with help from several trainers, and cameras captured him being taken to the locker room in a wheelchair.

Although no official diagnosis was announced on the night of the injury, all signs pointed towards Tatum suffering a non-contact Achilles injury—possibly even a tear.

Tuesday afternoon, Shams Charania with ESPN confirmed the worst, saying that Tatum underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles in his right leg.

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This injury requires one of the most grueling recovery processes in modern sports, with a full rehabilitation typically taking around a year. Even after that absence, there’s no guarantee that an athlete will ever be as explosive as they were before the tear.

Tatum’s Achilles tear is the latest in an injury that has haunted sports stars in recent memory.

In Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs, Milwaukee Bucks’ star Damian Lillard came up slow in a similar fashion. It was later confirmed that he tore his Achilles.

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Outside of the NBA, Achilles injuries have plagued stars in other sports as well. Several months ago, Tiger Woods suffered a torn Achilles. In the NFL, quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Aaron Rodgers have suffered notable Achilles injuries in recent seasons.