There’s been an alarming number of devastating injuries to some of the NBA’s biggest names this season. Among them, Damian Lillard tore his Achilles, and Jayson Tatum suffered an ACL tear. All of them will miss months of action. It’s gotten former stars like Dwyane Wade reflecting on the times he was injured and the tough moments that came with it. Perhaps the three could learn something from Wade’s experiences.
It’s sad when the best players don’t get to perform on the biggest stage, but it’s an unfortunate occurrence we see every season. When Wade was at his peak in 2007, he experienced a grueling shoulder injury himself—one that forced him to undergo season-ending surgery.
That’s why Wade decided to weigh in on the injuries that ended Lillard, Irving, and Tatum’s 2024–25 season prematurely, assessing not just the physical impact but the mental toll as well.
“It’s the mental part of this journey,” Wade pointed out in his podcast. “I’ve ended seasons with injury. Whether it’s a knee injury or a shoulder injury, whatever the case may be. It’s the mental part of it, man, of trying to get back. You know, are you going to get back to where you were? And you gotta push through those days, you gotta push through those hard days.”
Almost every seasoned athlete in the world would agree with Wade. Coming back from an injury when you’re young, like Tatum, isn’t usually a problem physically. It’s the psychological aspect that’s tougher. Trying to accept that they may never be the same player again. It’s a moment that can force players to adapt to survive.
Wade faced this challenge back in ’07. It wasn’t just him— even the Miami Heat organization doubted he would come back the same after his injury.
“When I tore my shoulder up, it changed my entire thought process on how I viewed my life,” he shared. “Because I didn’t know if I would ever come back to be the same player that I was. I don’t think the Heat did either. So, I started doing things differently in my business and my life, because I was like, what if this is it?”
The injury Wade was referring to was an awkward one. During a game against the Houston Rockets, his left arm collided with Shane Battier and bent backward in an unnatural direction. The Heat guard walked off the court hunched over in pain and, at one point, was brought to tears. He ultimately left the arena in a wheelchair and was taken away in an ambulance.
The Heat’s season pretty much ended right there. They had a good enough record to make the playoffs, but were swept by the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
The following season, when Wade returned, he didn’t quite look like his usual self. His points per game dropped from 27 to 24, and his field goal percentage dipped from nearly 50% to 46%. The injury had undoubtedly taken a toll on him, even after he was medically cleared to play.
It wasn’t until the 2008-09 season that Wade returned with a bang. He averaged over 30 PPG, had 7.5 APG, and recorded more than two steals per game. He led the league in scoring and finished third in the MVP voting. Arguably, it was the best individual statistical season he ever put together.
Severe injuries affect a player’s mentality in their first season back. That’s something Tatum, Kyrie, and Dame will have to prepare for. However, if there’s a silver lining for these players, it’s that modern medicine has advanced significantly since Wade’s days. There’s a possibility all three could come back healthier than ever, like Kevin Durant did following his Achilles rupture in 2019.
But they will still have to conquer the mental hurdle of overcoming significant injuries, regardless of how fast they can physically return. And no medicine can help with that.
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