One dunk attempt ended Moses Moody’s season and plunged the Golden State Warriors deeper into their nightmare campaign. This happened just when we thought their 34-38 season couldn’t get any worse without Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry. Moody has been diagnosed with a ruptured patellar tendon, according to Shams Charania. The recovery timeline around that, though, is expected to be lengthy, according to an orthopedic surgeon.

“Patellar tendon surgery involves sewing the tendon together / re-attaching it to the patella,” Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. wrote on X. “The typical time frame for recovery is 9 – 12 months.” Moody was having a career-high season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while shooting 44% from the field and 40.1% from beyond the arc. This medical update also means that Moody will probably miss most of next season.

The incident happened in overtime with 1:13 left when Moody stole the ball from Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg and went up for an open dunk. However, as he came down, his left knee buckled, and he fell to the ground. He couldn’t get back on his feet and was stretchered off, highlighting the severity of the injury. After the game, Dubs head coach Steve Kerr said everybody was awaiting results from the medical team, but he also admitted that it “looked bad.”

Before the injury news broke in the media, sports medicine physician Brian Sutterer predicted that this would be a patellar tendon rupture. “This isn’t like a limb-threatening sort of an injury, but absolutely something that’s going to require surgery and could start to creep into next season,” Sutterer said. “It will definitely keep him out at the start of next season, but oftentimes this is a nine-month, potentially year-long recovery for a basketball player.” Following this update, though, the fans are distraught, while some of them feel the season is well and truly over for the Dubs.

Warriors fans make demands clear around Stephen Curry after Moses Moody injury update

The Golden State Warriors have been plagued with injuries this season, with Moses Moody being the latest to join the casualty list. He becomes the second player behind Jimmy Butler to be ruled out of the 2025-26 season. With the latest news, fans are demanding that the Warriors’ management not rush Stephen Curry back, who is facing his own challenges with a lingering injury. He has missed 22 games in a row with a knee concern, commonly known as runner’s knee.

“This season is cursed, just shut down Steph for the rest of the season bro,” an emotional Warriors fan commented. “Just shut down Steph Curry, it’s not worth it at all. Let Steph Curry rest and healed up for next season,” another member of the Dub Nation wrote, reiterating the same emotion, as many of them want Curry to be fully rested and healthy for next season rather than rushing back for an unlikely postseason push. The fans are emotional, and with Moody’s update, they have probably given up any hope for this season.

“Woke up heartbroken! Yea shut Steph and Melt down!” another netizen shared their thoughts following Moody’s injury revelation. This is a common sentiment among fans: keep Curry well protected for next season, hoping they get a couple of summer trades to make this a win-now team. It’s also worth noting that Kerr is on an expiring contract. Along with Curry, this netizen wants the management to protect De’Anthony Melton, who has been good for the Dubs when available but has missed a bunch of games. The 27-year-old guard has only featured in 41 games this season out of 72 appearances, mainly due to injury concerns.

“This sounds worse than an ACL. Prayers,” another fan sent prayers for Moody and shared their worry about his injury. A patellar tendon rupture can become a more serious concern and require complex surgical intervention. Victor Oladipo, who was an NBA first-team player and All-Star before a similar injury, was nothing close to the same on his return. However, players like Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving, and Karl-Anthony Towns have also suffered patellar injuries and recovered well.

“I’m so heartbroken for Moses, he worked hard to come back after missing 10 games and now he’ll be out for so long this doesn’t make sense at all,” another distraught fan commented, highlighting how it has been a season of struggle for Moody despite being his career year. He missed 10 games on the trot due to a wrist injury and delivered an efficient 23 points and three steals, only to suffer a season-ending injury on his return. It has been that kind of season for the Warriors.

Kerr’s team is the 10th seed in the Western Conference and has largely confirmed its spot for the Play-In tournament. The question now is whether Curry, whose return has been delayed, can come back in time and help the Dubs with a deeper postseason run in what has been a wretched campaign.