Meniscus injuries get increasingly painful, preventing NBA players from reaching their full potential. Most NBA players can’t finish the game when they tear their meniscus, much less participate in future games until it heals. Unfortunately, quite a few NBA players have injured their meniscus.
NBA players with meniscus tears include Shaun Livingston, James Wiseman, and Derrick Rose. Zion Williamson also tore his meniscus, as did Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant. Meniscus tears are some of the most common knee injuries in the NBA, but they have quick recovery times.
Throughout this post, I’ll explain which NBA players have torn their meniscus, how long they’re usually out for, and whether or not basketball players can participate with a torn meniscus.
1. Shaun Livingston
Shaun Livingston’s knee injury was one of the worst in NBA history. According to The Sportster, he tore almost everything in his left leg, including his meniscus, ACL, and PCL, and even dislocated a few other parts of his leg. He missed the rest of the season (‘06 – ‘07), then went on to play for numerous other teams.
2. James Wiseman
James Wiseman tore his meniscus in 2021, causing a multi-month recovery that permanently impacted his performance on the court. Unfortunately, it was soon after he was drafted, which means he was barely able to play during the majority of his rookie season. Thankfully, he’s recovered and is back on the court.
3. Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is one of the biggest names in modern NBA history, but he’s had a career full of injuries. One of his worst injuries was his ACL tear during his rookie season. Sadly, it was a season-ending injury. Bleacher Report claims that he also tore his meniscus during a game in 2017. The injury took over two months to fully recover, but he’s had many more before and since this one.
4. Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson was another one of the quickest NBA names to reach stardom. However, he tore his meniscus during his rookie season (2019). Surprisingly, it only took about 6 weeks for him to recover since he largely avoided a much worse tear by taking time off. He was on track to win Rookie of the Year, per Ball Durham.
5. Chris Paul
Chris Paul had one of the quickest meniscus tear recoveries in the NBA. He tore it during the 2010 season, but he only missed a few weeks. This allowed him to get back on the court and finish the season. The cartilage was removed, which is a risky move for someone who’s constantly moving around during the basketball season. However, it paid off in the long run.
6. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant has suffered one of the most recent meniscus tears on the list. It happened when a Miami Heat player fell on his knee, causing it to bend sideways. He’s had numerous injuries on his right knee, leading many to wonder if this is a foreshadowing of ongoing injuries to come. To make matters worse, it happened at a time when K.D. was putting up high numbers each game.