What Happened to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Gilgeous-Alexander first appeared on the injury report this week with right knee bursitis, being listed as questionable for Wednesday’s home game against the Utah Jazz on January 7, 2026.
The Thunder then downgraded his status around the back‑to‑back, and by Friday’s updated league report, he was officially ruled out with a right ankle sprain for the road matchup in Memphis. Clemente Almanza on X reports that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle sprain) will be out for the Thunder's game tomorrow against the Grizzlies.
@Justintohoops shared on X the injury report for OKC's road game against Memphis tomorrow: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, and Cason Wallace are now out, while Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams remain out.
He had just logged 21 points, 2 rebounds and 6 assists in 28–30 minutes in a 124–97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on January 5, shooting 33.3% from the field and 16.7% from three, before these issues surfaced.
Some will remember last season when OKC also chose to sit him late with shin soreness, so this isn’t the first time the team has leaned toward rest when warning signs pop up.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Injury Details
Over the past three seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander has carried a heavy usage role while dealing with a steady drip of lower‑body issues and a few short illnesses. Here are the key injuries from 2023–24 onward, focusing on the official designations and dates.
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1/8/26 – Ankle: Listed with ankle injury and ruled out (right ankle sprain).
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12/6/25 – Elbow: Elbow issue that cost him a game in December 2025.
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11/25/25 – Illness: Missed time due to non‑COVID illness.
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4/9/25 – Shin: Shin injury that led to him missing the final stretch of the 2024‑25 regular season.
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3/18/25 & 3/6/25 – Rest: Officially listed as rest as the Thunder monitored his workload down the stretch.
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1/18/25 – Wrist: Right wrist soreness that cost him at least one game.
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4/1/24 & 3/27/24 – Quad: Right quadriceps contusion that caused multiple absences late in the 2023‑24 season.
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1/30/24 – Illness: Short illness absence.
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1/14/24 – Knee: Knee issue, listed on the report and held out.
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11/2/23 – Knee: Left knee sprain reported early in the 2023‑24 season
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3/27/23 – Ankle: Ankle problem that sidelined him at the end of March 2023
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2/24/23 – Abdominal/Health and Safety Protocols: Abdominal strain plus health and safety protocols, costing multiple games.
It’s a pattern that shows repeated stress to his legs ankle, shin, knee, quad, which matters when talking about a guard whose game is built on change of pace and paint touches.
When Will Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Return?
Right now, there’s no firm public timetable beyond the standard day‑to‑day tag with the Thunder and league listings. He’s out for Friday’s game in Memphis with the ankle sprain, and earlier in the week he was only questionable with knee bursitis, which suggests the team is trying to get both issues under control before putting him back on the floor.
Given OKC’s history of resting him when lower‑body problems flare up, it wouldn’t be surprising if he misses a small cluster of games rather than rushing straight back for the next one.
It’s unclear if he’ll return on the upcoming homestand or if they’ll wait until he’s cleared of both the knee and ankle concerns, but there’s no indication at this stage of a long‑term, season‑threatening problem.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Stats with Oklahoma City
|
Season |
Team |
GP |
3P% | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2020‑21 |
OKC |
35 |
42% | 81% |
|
2021‑22 |
OKC |
56 |
30% | 81% |
|
2022‑23 |
OKC |
68 |
35% | 90% |
|
2023‑24 |
OKC |
75 |
37% | 87% |
|
2024‑25 |
OKC |
70 |
mid‑30s | high‑80s |
|
2025‑26* |
OKC |
— |
|
|
Those numbers explain why any absence hits Oklahoma City hard; he’s the Thunder’s primary on‑ball creator and late‑game closer. Some will remember the leap from 24.5 points in 2021‑22 to over 31 in 2022‑23 as the turning point that moved him from “good young guard” into the core of the MVP discussion.
Impact on Oklahoma City Lineup
Without Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder leaned on a more committee‑style attack in Memphis on Friday night, with Jalen Williams and Josh Giddey taking on more creation duties and Cason Wallace getting extra backcourt minutes.
Chet Holmgren, when available, slides into a bigger on‑ball role in handoffs and pick‑and‑pops, but OKC was already juggling frontcourt absences around Isaiah Hartenstein’s right soleus strain and Holmgren’s shin soreness.
The closing group skewed defense‑first, with Mark Daigneault trusting length and switching over pure scoring to squeeze enough stops to erase a 21‑point deficit in the final minutes against Memphis.
It’s a little concerning to see how much the offense stalls without Shai’s rim pressure, yet the comeback win also underlined how deep this roster is when everyone leans into playmaking by committee.
Disclaimer:
This article provides general informational coverage of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s injury status and recent games and is not medical advice. All timelines and designations are based on publicly available team and league reports at the time of writing and may change without notice.
