KJ Adams injury update: Kansas announces surgery for forward after tearing Achilles

Kansas head coach Bill Self updated the status of star power forward KJ Adams after undergoing a “successful surgery” on his torn Achilles suffered in the Jayhawks’ first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Arkansas last weekend.

“KJ had successful surgery this morning to repair his torn Achilles,” Self wrote in a statement released by the team Wednesday afternoon. “He is in good spirits. Although this is a big setback, he’ll attack his rehab with his patented toughness and be back on the court as strong as ever.”

An update from Coach Self on KJ Adams: pic.twitter.com/BrAtbkpoGc

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) March 26, 2025

Adams suffered the non-contact injury after coming down with a rebound late in the second half of the 79-72 first-round loss to Arkansas on March 20. Exiting the game with 3:10 remaning in regulation, the 6-foot-7 Adams finished with 13 point on 5-of-8 shooting and four rebounds in 32 minutes on the floor.

“He got the rebound, he came out on it. We had numbers and then he went down,” Self said after the game. “I don’t know exactly how much time was left, but he and [Dajuan Harris], more so than anybody because they’ve been here the longest besides me. … They’re like sons to me. It’s one thing to lose the game, but to see him potentially lose a year on top of the game — that’s a pretty big blow.

“Say what you want about those kids, but they’re winners and they compete everyday. It’s just disappointing to have anybody go out that way.”

Adams finished his 2024-25 senior season averaging 9.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. While that’s down from his 12.6 point per game average from his junior season, Adams remained a massive piece of Kansas’ lineup this season.

Ahead of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, KJ Adams said the Jayhawks were focusing on the survive-and-advance mindset. Although the upperclassmen were getting ready for the “lasts,” they still had to keep their eye on the ball.

“We have had a lot of laughs the last couple of weeks and I don’t think that’s the mindset we’re thinking of now,” Adams said last week. “We’re just trying to advance as much as we can. I hope this is not our last week and I don’t plan for it to be, so we’re just thinking about next game, next game and trying not to make it our last.”

The Jayhawks finished a rollercoaster 2024-25 season with a 21-13 overall record, including an inconsistent 11-9 record in Big 12 play, but did showout with a 14-3 home record inside the famed Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks enter the offseason set to bring in a top 15 recruiting class, per the On3 Industry Rankings. Expected to lose a healthy dose of their production this offseason, Self could also utilize the transfer portal to his program’s advantage.

— On3’s Barkley Truax and Nick Schultz contributed to this report.