On June 13, 2019, Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson tore his left knee anterior cruciate ligament ACL during game 6 of the NBA finals. Thompson was injured when he landed in an awkward position after being fouled by Toronto Raptors’ Danny Green on a breakaway dunk attempt. Thompson was seen falling and immediately grabbing his left knee, as medical staff rushed over. Thompson was helped off the court, but briefly returned to shoot some free throws before limping back off. The Warriors PR team updated on Twitter that Thompson had an MRI that night, which confirmed a torn ACL in Thompson’s left knee.

Thompson had surgery to reconstruct his ACL at the Kerlan Jobe Institute in Los Angeles on July 2. It’s preferable to allow a year’s worth of healing prior to returning to high level sports, but it may be reasonable to return sooner, and athletes are often motivated to do so.