Thunder's Williams requires surgery for broken leg and dislocated ankle

Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams will need surgery to repair a broken left fibula and dislocated left ankle after being stretchered off during their 108-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Williams - a shooting guard who entered Sunday having averaged 18 points per game in his first 250 NBA contests - has been an All-Star and an All-NBA player already in his career and was a huge part of the Thunder team that won the 2024-25 NBA title.

He injured his lower left leg and saw his ankle turn at an unnatural angle in a drive with 1:14 remaining, with Williams immediately treated by medical personnel after going down underneath the basket on the Thunder's offensive end.

"Dub, as everybody knows, is as tough as they come," Thunder GM Sam Presti said at a news conference in Oklahoma City.

"He's an elite competitor. Even last night, just miraculous in terms of his outlook and the way he's looking forward to attacking this. We're going to be with him the entire way."

Williams' ankle was draped with towels before a stretcher was brought out, with players left visibly shaken by the incident and the game stopped for around five minutes before the Thunder completed their victory.

"Just feel bad for him," Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said in a post-match interview, fighting back tears as he spoke. "Nothing more than that."

Williams, seated up on the stretcher, saluted the cheering fans with two thumbs-up signals as he was wheeled off the court.