The 2026 NBA Playoffs have brought great action to the court, as we move closer towards the end of the first-round. Minnesota Timberwolves closed out Saturday’s all-day slate of games with a 112-96 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 4, but the Timberwolves lost core guard Donte DiVincenzo to an Achilles tear.
DiVincenzo picked up his injury without any contact in the first few minutes of the game, with confirmation on his Achilles tear coming before the game had even ended. He’s the fourth major player in the last year to suffer an Achilles tear during the Playoffs, as 2025 saw Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton all suffer torn Achilles injuries over the course of the postseason.
There is one very surprising factor that links Lillard, Tatum, and Haliburton’s injuries with what happened to DiVincenzo in Game 4. All four of these players share the same jersey number, wearing No. 0 on the court.
This is an incredible coincidence, but it has fans convinced that the No. 0 in the NBA might be cursed, given that four consecutive Achilles tears have been suffered by players wearing that number during the NBA Playoffs.
“Don’t wear the #0 if you don’t want to tear your Achilles,” said a scared fan.
“Don’t tell me this is another Achilles injury. The number 0 is actually cursed wtf,” said a fan before DiVincenzo’s injury was confirmed.
“The last 4 players to tear their Achilles all wearing #0 is a crazy coincidence,” said one fan.
“We need to do something about this #0 Achilles rupture epidemic,” said another fan.
“That jersey number 0 may be cursed. This is the fourth jersey number 0 with an Achilles injury???? This injury happens way too often in this era of basketball,” said another concerned fan.
The 2025-26 NBA season had 26 players wear the No. 0 jersey. Some of the notable names are Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons), Bradley Beal (LA Clippers), Christian Braun (Denver Nuggets), Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns), Jonathan Kuminga (Atlanta Hawks), and Anthony Black (Orlando Magic), among many others.
Achilles injuries have become more commonplace in the modern NBA, but the odds of players from the same jersey number suffering this debilitating injury every season are objectively bizarre. Thankfully, Russell Westbrook switched his jersey number away from No. 0, or his relentless play style might have made him more prone to a similar injury.
Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles tendon during the first quarter of the 2026 NBA Finals Game 7 against the OKC Thunder, with many still saying that Game 7 is one of the biggest ‘what-ifs?’ in NBA history, due to Haliburton’s injury after scoring nine early points. He’s yet to return but is expected back in time for opening tip next season.
Damian Lillard tore his Achilles tendon during his first-round series against Haliburton’s Pacers in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Lillard would end up getting released by the Bucks and joined the Portland Trail Blazers in the summer. While he was expected to miss the entire season, there is potential that Lillard returns in the 2026 NBA Playoffs if the Blazers make a deep run.
Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon during the Celtics’ second-round loss to the New York Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs in Game 4. Tatum has already returned to the court this season and is averaging 23.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 7.7 assists in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
DiVincenzo was averaging 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in the first round before his injury, with a long road to recovery ahead of him.
