Kevin Durant has undergone surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon, defending his decision to take the court for the Golden State Warriors in a must-win NBA Finals game agains the Toronto Raptors.
Durant said the surgery on Wednesday (local time) - less than 48 hours after he sustained the injury - had been successful.
The 30-year-old posted an Instagram photo of himself in a hospital bed and wrote: "I wanted to update you all: I did rupture my Achilles.
"Surgery was today and it was a success, EASY MONEY. My road back starts now!...
"Like I said Monday, I'm hurting deeply, but I'm OK. Basketball is my biggest love and I wanted to be out there that night because that's what I do.
"I wanted to help my teammates on our quest for the three peat."
Durant's long-awaited return to the NBA playoffs lasted barely one quarter, before he suffered the injury.
The two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player had been sidelined for more than a month and missed the first four games of the series with a calf injury, but the Warriors needed to win the fifth game to stay alive.
Despite losing Durant early, the Warriors won 106-105 in Toronto to extend the best-of-seven series, which the Raptors lead 3-2 heading into game six at Oakland, California on Thursday.
Coach Steve Kerr also defended the decision to play Durant, saying it had been a collaborative one that included the player and his personal doctor.
"Would we go back and do it over again?" Kerr quizzed reporters. "Damn right, but that's easy to say after the results.
"Our feeling was the worst thing that could happen would be a re-injury of the calf.
"Once Kevin was cleared to play, he was comfortable with that, we were comfortable with that, so the Achilles came as a complete shock."
Durant, 30, will miss at least the start of next season and could be out for up to a year.
Where Durant will play when he returns is another question, as he could elect to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Reuters