Oklahoma City Thunder rookie center Thomas Sorber will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season after suffering a torn right ACL during an offseason workout, the team announced Friday afternoon.
Sorber was drafted 15th overall by the Thunder in June's draft as a young building block for the future of the team's frontcourt alongside Chet Holmgren. He will now begin his first NBA season on the sidelines rehabbing this knee injury, which occurred during an offseason workout in Oklahoma City on Thursday.
This is the second straight year that the Thunder's first-round pick in the NBA Draft has suffered an ACL injury.
Nikola Topic, the 12th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, suffered a partially torn ACL in his left knee while playing overseas for KK Mega Basket before he was drafted. He underwent surgery and missed the entire 2024-25 season.
Before Sorber was drafted in June by the Thunder, he spent one year at Georgetown. As a four-star recruit, Sorber stood out immediately with 20 points and 13 rebounds in his debut against Lehigh.
Unfortunately, he missed the end of his only collegiate season after undergoing season-ending toe surgery for a turf-toe injury.
Still, he managed to cement his status as a top-tier first-round prospect entering the NBA after averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He ranked second on the team in scoring and second in the nation in rebounding among freshmen.
The Thunder are coming off a historic 68-14 season, which resulted in their first championship in team history.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's reigning MVP, enters the 2025-26 season looking to build off one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history alongside Holmgren and first-time All-Star Jalen Williams.
Oklahoma City retained their entire championship roster from last season, and it remains one of the league's youngest teams.
While Sorber will not be able to play during the 2025-26 season, he will spend a lot of time learning from Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein in the frontcourt.
Further updates on Sorber's status will be provided by the Thunder at a later date.
