The Oklahoma City Thunder were without Jalen Williams for most of last year as the star wing battled wrist and hamstring injuries that limited him to only 33 games and caused him to miss most of the playoffs. Williams loomed as one of this year’s most interesting players entering this year, and threatened to make the Thunder the team to beat for the 2027 championship race if he could regain his top form.

Now the Thunder are likely looking at another long absence for Williams after he left the floor on a stretcher in their third game of the season. OKC beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 108-101, on Sunday night, but Williams’ gruesome injury is the bigger story.

Late in the fourth quarter, Williams landed awkwardly after a drive to the basket, and his ankle appeared to bend the wrong way. He was carried off the court on a stretcher, and gave a thumbs up to the crowd as he was taken to the locker room. Watch the play here — but you might want to skip this one if you’re squeamish.

Williams’ injury brought teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to tears as he was being loaded onto the stretcher.

Here’s an ugly still image of Williams on the floor. Feel free to quickly scroll past this one if you don’t want to see an awful injury.

Ankles aren’t supposed to turn like that.

Williams had eight points in 32 minutes before the injury. Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 34 points in the win, but for now the focus will be on Williams’ recovery.

It goes without saying that the Thunder aren’t the same team when Williams is injured. At 25 years old, he’s one of the best two-way wings in the league. He already helped the Thunder win the 2025 NBA championship, and his return to the lineup had OKC thinking about raising another banner.

Let’s hope Williams can fully recover from this injury.

We’ll update this story as it develops.