Here’s the latest on the status of KU’s KJ Adams, who was injured in NCAA Tournament
Kansas Jayhawks basketball forward KJ Adams, who suffered an injury late in KU’s first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island, has been diagnosed with a torn Achilles and will be sidelined for several months, coach Bill Self told The Star on Sunday.
Adams, a senior from Austin, Texas grabbed a defensive rebound with 3 minutes, 14 seconds remaining with KU leading the Razorbacks 67-64. As he landed on his left leg and attempted to dribble on a fast-break opportunity, he fell and lost the ball.
Adams remained on the court until he was helped to his feet and walked off by teammates Zeke Mayo and AJ Storr. Adams immediately was taken to the locker room and the Jayhawks were outscored 15-5 the final three minutes of an eventual 79-72 defeat.
Adams was examined by doctors upon the team’s return from Rhode Island, Self said.
“It is a torn Achilles. He’ll have surgery sometime this week,” the coach told The Star on Sunday.
Self said Adams’ recovery time, and return to basketball, will likely be nine to 10 months.
“It is terrible. It’s an awful way to end a really good (college) career,” Self said. ”The thing that is most frustrating and the saddest thing is it probably delays a year in what he’ll do with his future (in pro basketball).
“I anticipate him sticking around (KU) and we’ll find something for him to do until he gets healthy.”
It could be a similar situation to former KU forward Perry Ellis, who remained in Lawrence for several months of treatment after tearing the patellar tendon in his knee on July 25, 2019. Ellis hurt the knee while playing for KU’s alumni team in a TBT game at Wichita. After working in KU’s basketball office during the 2019-20 school year, he began his pro career.
The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Adams was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection after the 2023-24 season. He was the Big 12’s most improved player award recipient in 2023.
Adams averaged 9.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in his senior year. He played in 137 games over his career at Kansas, making 97 starts.
This story was originally published March 23, 2025 at 8:05 PM with the headline "Here’s the latest on the status of KU’s KJ Adams, who was injured in NCAA Tournament."
