Kevin Durant Injury: Thunder Superstar Has Jones Fracture, Could Miss 6 To 8 Weeks

Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant has a "Jones fracture," a broken bone at the base of the small toe, in his right foot, and will likely be sidelined six to eight weeks. The 26-year-old reported experiencing pain after practice Saturday and Thunder staff X-rayed his foot revealing the fracture.

The injury did not occur due to a specific incident, but rather over time, according to Thunder general manager Sam Presti. He added that Durant's injury has become more common among NBA players.

"After practice yesterday, Kevin made us aware of discomfort in his right foot. We proceeded to perform the necessary imaging studies to determine the cause of his discomfort. At this stage, Kevin has been diagnosed with a Jones fracture. Traditional treatment of this injury requires a surgical procedure and recent NBA cases have resulted in a return to play in six to eight weeks," the team said in a statement on Sunday.

The healing process for a Jones fracture could be delayed by a lack of blood flow.

Durant is coming off perhaps his best professional season, winning the 2013-2014 MVP, after averaging 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. The small forward has also proved to be a durable asset to the Thunder, having missed just 16 games in eight seasons.

The Thunder's season begins on Oct. 29. A mid-December return from Durant would mean he would miss roughly 20 games.

In 2013-2014, the Thunder finished with the second-best record in the NBA, and reached the Western Conference Finals before falling to the eventual-champion San Antonio Spurs in the best-of-seven series, 4-2.