The NBA mandates that if a player is expected to miss the remainder of the season because of injury, they have to be made available to reporters shortly after their injury/surgery. On Sunday evening, Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler spoke with local reporters for his official injured player media availability.
Here’s what he said:
On the history of his injury
Kessler had surgery to repair a torn left labrum on Nov. 6, though the initial tear happened while Kessler was at Auburn University during the 2021-22 season. It’s not uncommon for minor tears to be dealt with non-surgically, instead focusing on strengthening and stabilizing the surrounding muscles.
But, Kessler said that things weakened and got worse this season, which is when he was told that surgery would be necessary so that he wouldn’t risk injuring other parts of his shoulder (rotator cuff, anterior labrum, etc.).
“I’ve had a posterior labrum tear in my left shoulder since Auburn,” Kessler said. “Just kind of tried to play through it, strengthen it. But during this year ... the doctor explained it as the more it subluxes, the more just all those tendons get stretched out.
“In regards to the strengthening you can do, especially with the posterior, there’s no amount of strength that will keep it from slipping out again and again. So he told me, ‘You’ve got to have a surgery. You’ve already subluxed it so many times.’”
On his recovery
There’s not an exact timetable for recovery, as everyone is different and there are several phases of recovery from this surgery, which Kessler is expected to go through. Kessler did say that his expectation is to be healed and ready so that he can attack the offseason fully healthy.
One thing that Kessler is looking forward to, as a bit of a silver lining, is being fully healthy and having full range of motion in a way that he hasn’t had yet in his NBA career. He mentioned that there were certain moments over the last few years when his muscles would sort of seize up and he wasn’t able to move much because of the injury, which has held him back a bit.
“To have it fully healthy and to be fully confident and not worry about reaching out or going for those vertical blocks — and I still was going for them, obviously, but there was just some times where I couldn’t do those certain movements," he said. “So to have that knocked out of the way, and then be fully ready ... I mean, I’m going to be ready next year, and I’m really, really looking forward to it.”
The Jazz expect that when Kessler is able to conduct his rehab in a safe way while also traveling that he will rejoin the Jazz on roadtrips. He’s continued to stay connected with the team, doing his rehab while the team practices at Zions Bank Basketball campus and attending film sessions with the team.
On his contract status
Before training camp started this season, Kessler shared his frustrations about not being able to come to an agreement on a contract extension with the Jazz, which means that he will become a restricted free agent at the end of the 2025-26 season.
When he was told by doctors that he would need to have season-ending surgery, his contract status was something that came to mind.
“Naturally, yeah, but you kind of have to boot it right away,” Kessler said. “Because there’s no point. Regardless of how you feel about it, it’s not gonna change anything.”
As for how he feels now heading into restricted free agency, there’s still frustration with how things went over the summer.
“My feelings haven’t really changed,” he said. “This obviously was frustrating at first, but I think everything happens for a reason. So I’m just going to focus on my rehab right now and attack the rehab with the best intensity I can. And that’s all I’m going to focus on right now — being the best teammate I can, in a different way, obviously."
On approaching recovery with gratitude
One of the things that Kessler emphasized Sunday was his love for the game and the ache being away from it. But he made sure to note that while he was frustrated that there were reasons to be thankful.
He remembers what it was like to see teammate Taylor Hendricks following his season-ending broken leg in October 2024. At least following shoulder surgery, Kessler appreciates that he can get up and go for a walk or a drive whenever he wants. He doesn’t have to recover laying down, and won’t have to spend any time in a boot or on a knee scooter.
“Counting your blessings and realizing you have so much to be thankful for is a great way to fight off negativity,” Kessler said. “And I have a lot to be thankful for. I have an unbelievable circle around me. I have great family, great friends, a great franchise, great teammates, great city.”
