Alabama men’s basketball guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who missed much of last season after an Achilles rupture, has been cleared for non-contact drills, moving past another hurdle in his recovery.
Wrightsell appeared in just eight games in 2024-25 before suffering the injury against the Oregon Ducks in the Players Era Festival Championship Game. He was slated to run out of eligibility but was granted a medical redshirt, giving him a sixth season of college basketball.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that Wrightsell has also begun “doing some basic basketball activities.”
Wrightsell was impactful in the team’s run to the NCAA Final Four in 2024, as the team posted a 10-0 record that season in games where Wrightsell scored in double figures. He was also one of the Crimson Tide’s most consistent shooters in 2023-24, posting a 44.7% clip from beyond the arc.
Wrightsell considered walking away from basketball after the injury, as an Achilles rupture is among the worst injuries a basketball player can suffer. NBA legends Elgin Baylor and Isiah Thomas both retired following an Achilles tear, and fellow legend Kobe Bryant was unable to reach the same heights he did before the injury, retiring three seasons later.
“I was really like, ‘I’m about to quit basketball,’” Wrightsell said. “I just didn’t want to deal with it. I’ve been through a lot of injuries. The Achilles –– my favorite player is Kevin Durant, and I’ve seen him tear it before –– and I just know a lot of people don’t recover from it.”
With the support of many around the program, Wrightsell decided to stick with basketball and return for his final year of eligibility. He was encouraged to return after seeing former teammate Chris Youngblood, who himself suffered an injury that kept him out for most of the Crimson Tide’s nonconference slate last season, return and make an impact despite a setback.
“He had gotten hurt in the summer but made his return,” Wrightsell said. “And I was like, ‘Well, if he can do it, I should be able to do it just for him and just for the guys that depend on me to be able to have a hearing voice and be able to play.’”
Wrightsell is expected to be of importance to Alabama in 2025-26, having averaged 11.5 points last year prior to the injury. With the departures of Youngblood and former All-American guard Mark Sears, Wrightsell and fellow sixth-year guard Houston Mallette will look to fill the team’s need for experienced guard play.
Alabama will begin the 2025-26 season on Nov. 3, hosting the North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Coleman Coliseum.
