Kevin Durant once limped away from the NBA Finals with a torn Achilles and his career in question.
Now, he’s the player others turn to when they face the same devastating injury.
On the latest episode of the Mind the Game podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash, Durant revealed that both Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard reached out to him after suffering Achilles tears during the 2025 playoffs.
“I feel like I’m the Achilles guy,” Durant said, embracing his role as a veteran mentor to stars walking the same painful path.
.@KDTrey5 knows the rehab grind and thinks @Dame_Lillard and @jaytatum0 are going to come back even better. pic.twitter.com/cwffAYNRz9
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) July 8, 2025
The two-time NBA champion tore his Achilles in the 2019 Finals while playing for the Golden State Warriors and missed the entire 2019–20 season. Since returning, Durant averaged 27.9 points and redefined what’s possible after one of basketball’s most feared injuries.
He went on to become a symbol of resilience and guidance for players like Tatum, Lillard, and Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton — all of whom went down with Achilles injuries during this year’s postseason.
[ALSO READ: Rick Carlisle confident Tyrese Haliburton will recover from suspected Achilles injury: 'He’ll be back in time']
Haliburton has already been ruled out for the entire 2025–26 season by the Indiana Pacers. Tatum is also expected to miss the year after suffering his injury during the Celtics' Eastern Conference semifinal series against the New York Knicks.
[ALSO READ: Pacers rule out star guard Tyrese Haliburton for 2025-26 NBA season after Achilles surgery]
Both players are in their prime — Haliburton is 25 while Tatum’s 27 — and expected to make full recoveries.
Lillard, however, faces a more uncertain path as the 35-year-old was recently waived by the Milwaukee Bucks—a move that cleared cap space for the team to sign free agent big man Myles Turner.
[ALSO READ: Milwaukee Bucks waive Damian Lillard, land Myles Turner in offseason shakeup—reports]
The nine-time All-Star averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists last season before his injury, but questions now surround the next chapter of his career.
“Man, it was a grind. Of course, JT and Dame hit me up. A lot of guys have bounced back and become themselves again. Mine’s just the most popular,” Durant said of his own recovery.
The two-time Finals MVP offered insight into the physical toll of the injury, particularly for players like Tatum and Lillard, who thrive on explosive movements and deep three-pointers.
“Your calf goes to nothing. It completely shuts down. Most of the work is getting that calf back. You’ve got to get it bigger and stronger,” the four-time scoring champion shared.
He added that he adjusted his game after the injury, cutting out certain moves like side-step and step-back threes — not because they were poor shots, but because his leg lacked the necessary strength.
[ALSO READ: A mid-range maestro himself, Kevin Durant emphasizes importance of this shot in modern NBA]
The mental battle, Durant noted, is just as challenging as the physical one.
“I think it'll be easy for them to lock in once they truly grasp, ‘I’m going to be out for a year.’ It’s probably the first time in their whole lives they’ve had to sit down and not play,” the 2014 MVP said.
Despite the hardship, Durant believes strongly in the players walking the path he once traveled.
“Those guys are cut from a cloth — they’re rare.This is just a little stoppage in their journey. They’re going to continue to elevate,” the Rockets star emphasized.
The league is seeing an alarming spike in Achilles injuries, with six already recorded in 2025, making this one of the most injury-riddled seasons in recent memory.
[ALSO READ: LIST: Haliburton, Tatum, Lillard, more who suffered Achilles injuries in 2024–25 NBA season]
For context, the NBA logged just 45 Achilles tears between 1990 and 2023. Durant was one of those 45 victims, and his perspective could prove to be the most valuable of all.
“I just threw myself out there. I was hooping as soon as I could. Once they get out there and play, man, they’re going to be all right,” the 36-year-old said.
