However, the NBA has disputed the study, stating that its own internal research shows no connection between Achilles tears and minutes played. “Over the past year, we have worked to better understand Achilles tendon injuries through a tendon health working group and additional research,” the league’s director of sports medicine, Dr. John DiFiori, told The Athletic. The increase in Achilles tears became a topic of conversation during the spring and summer of 2025, after Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton all sustained the injury during the postseason. Those were the fifth, sixth, and seventh players to suffer Achilles tears in 2024/25. Thankfully, that trend didn’t continue in ’25/26 — just one player (Donte DiVincenzo) tore his Achilles last season.