Donte DiVincenzo opens up about his Achilles injury and the emotions after
Donte DiVincenzo talks about his Achilles injury and the emotions after his first appearance on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as your preferred source by clicking here.
He knew it 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.
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The question he asked when the trainers came to see him was precise. He asked if there was anyone around him when this happened. They said no. He already had his answer.
In his first in-depth public comments since the injury, DiVincenzo said:
“I knew it straight away. I asked the coaches when they came, ‘Tell me, was there anyone around me?’ And they said no, and I said it was my Achilles.”
He confirmed what has since been reported: surgery to repair a right Achilles tendon.
His comments, posted by journalist Andrew Dukowitz on
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How DiVincenzo overcame the initial shock
“Once I got to the bottom of the tunnel, that’s when my emotions started running through my head. Once I sat in the back, that’s when all the questions, the doubts, not understanding why, it all hit me.” He was upfront about experiencing these feelings rather than quickly moving past them. “At first I experienced these feelings of sadness towards myself. It was healthy.”
“The next morning, I turned the page thinking: when can we have surgery, when can I start, when can I come back.”
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On how the recovery is going:
“Considering the situation, I feel great. No pain, no discomfort, nothing. Scar looks beautiful. Literally everything I thought about before hasn’t happened this way and everything has been positive.”
DiVincenzo is already in the early stages of his long recovery, more than three weeks after suffering a torn Achilles tendon. He also benefited from outside support, including that of Jayson Tatum, who contacted him after his own game against the Celtics to share a message of encouragement. Going through this type of recovery requires the right environment, and according to him, he has it.
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