Houston Rockets’ Chris Clemons expected to miss season after tearing Achilles’ tendon

Former Campbell basketball star Chris Clemons of the Houston Rockets could miss the 2020-21 NBA season after suffering an apparent injury to his right Achilles tendon.

Clemons, a Raleigh native, was injured Tuesday during a preseason game against San Antonio. The 5-foot-9 guard, who was set to be the backup for John Wall this season, hit a 3-point jumper and was running back on defense when he grabbed his right foot. He later was taken off the court in a wheelchair.

The Achilles injury was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic. Wall, another Raleigh native who has had an Achilles tear, said he immediately sensed Clemons had suffered the same injury, according to Ben DuBose of USA Today’s rocketswire.com. Wall said the team was able to speak to Clemons in the locker room.

Clemons, one of the highest scorers in NCAA Division I basketball history, averaged 30 points a game in 2018-19. In February 2020, Campbell retired his jersey and honored him with “Chris Clemons Day” in Buies Creek. The former Millbrook High standout also had his jersey retired in a ceremony at the school in February.

Clemons, 23, was not selected in the 2019 NBA Draft. Signing as a free agent with the Rockets, he used a strong performance in the NBA Summer League to get an invitation to the team’s training camp. Clemons first signed a two-way contract, then was awarded an NBA contract that was to pay him $1.5 million this season.

This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 9:34 AM.

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.