Donte DiVincenzo opens up about his Achilles injury and the emotions after originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
He knew before anyone told him. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo went down 1:19 into Game 4 of the first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, and the nature of the injury was immediately clear.
The question he asked when trainers came to him was specific. He asked whether anyone was around him when it happened. They said no. He already had his answer.
In his first extended public comments since the injury, DiVincenzo said:
“I knew right away. I asked the trainers when they came over, ‘just tell me, was there somebody around me?’ And they said no, and I said it’s my Achilles.”
He confirmed what has since been reported: surgery to repair a right Achilles tendon.
His comments, posted by reporter Andrew Dukowitz on X, were wide-ranging, honest, and offered a window into how he processed one of the more crushing moments a player can go through.
How DiVincenzo found his way through the initial shock
“Once I got to the back of the tunnel, that’s when my emotions started going through my head. Once I sat in the back, that’s when all the questions, the doubts, the not understanding why me, all that hit.” He was candid about going through those feelings rather than pushing past them quickly. “I went through those emotions of feeling sad for myself initially. It was healthy.”
Donte DiVincenzo full clip explaining his injury and the emotions that came with it
“Given the situation I feel great. No pain, no discomfort, nothing. Scar looks amazing. Literally anything that I was thinking beforehand didn’t kind of transpire that way and it’s been all… pic.twitter.com/uAaBDEBeHD
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) May 16, 2026
“By the next morning, my mind, I flipped the page of thinking: when can we get surgery, when can I get started, when can I get back.”
On how the recovery is going:
“Given the situation, I feel great. No pain, no discomfort, nothing. Scar looks amazing. Literally anything that I was thinking beforehand didn’t kind of transpire that way and it’s been all positive.”
DiVincenzo is already in the initial stages of his long recovery, over three weeks after sustaining the torn Achilles. He has had outside support too, including Jayson Tatum, who reached out after his own Celtics game to share a message of encouragement. Getting through this kind of recovery requires the right environment, and by his account, he has it.
More NBA news:
- Analyst calls out Anthony Edwards for hugging Spurs in Game 6
- Chandler Parsons sides with Dwyane Wade over James Harden in career debate
- What Indiana Pacers’ roster path looks like after losing their 2026 pick
- Steph Curry speaks on what he needs from Warriors in his last contract years
- Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson has a direct message for Cleveland