Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources say

Published by RawNews1st

Houston Rockets’ starting point guard Fred VanVleet has reportedly suffered a torn ACL, with sources telling ESPN on Monday that the injury could be season-ending. The injury was sustained during a team minicamp in the Bahamas and will likely sideline the 2025-26 NBA season.

Just in: Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources tell ESPN. A devastating, potentially season-ending loss for the Rockets with their starting point guard and leader. pic.twitter.com/Qhf0V58DwR
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2025

Houston has limited depth behind the 31-year-old VanVleet, a one-time All-Star and 2019 league champion. Reed Sheppard, the No. 3 pick in last year’s draft, is the heir apparent to VanVleet as of this writing.

The loss of VanVleet for at least an extended portion of the season represents a massive blow to Houston’s title aspirations, following a bold offseason of major moves to reshape its roster.

The 6-footer out of Wichita State had his lowest-scoring season since 2018-19 last year, as he ceded more touches to rising stars Alperen Sengun and (at the time) Jalen Green. Green, of course, was shipped to the Phoenix Suns as part of the club’s blockbuster seven-team trade for 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant.

In 60 healthy games last year, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points on .378/.345/.810 shooting splits, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 60 games.