Anthony Davis cleared to begin limited on-court activities, Wizards say
anthony davis, sidelined with ligament damage in his left hand, has been cleared to begin limited individual on-court basketball activities and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the Wizards announced Thursday, hours before their home game against the Utah Jazz.
Wizards say Davis progressing after Cedars-Sinai check
The 32-year-old big man was re-evaluated Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and the team’s statement said, "He continues to progress as expected and has been cleared to begin limited individual on-court basketball activities. " Davis hasn’t played since Jan. 8, when he injured his left hand while defending Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen on a baseline drive; at the time he was playing for the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to Washington as part of an eight-player deal ahead of the deadline last month.
Anthony Davis' injury history and recent setbacks
Davis avoided surgery for the current ligament damage, a development that contrasts with other setbacks he has faced since being traded. He returned from an abdominal issue and then left a Feb. 8, 2025 game against the Houston Rockets with an adductor strain. On April 2, he suffered an eye injury after an accidental elbow from a teammate that required offseason surgery to repair a detached retina; he now wears protective eyewear on the floor. Earlier this season, Davis strained his left calf on Oct. 29 versus the Indiana Pacers and missed 14 games, and he left the Mavericks' Dec. 25 game against the Golden State Warriors with right groin spasms before returning on New Year's Day.
Frontcourt depth and roster context for Washington
With Alex Sarr sidelined by a hamstring injury, the Wizards' available centers were limited; Tristan Vukcevic (thigh), Anthony Gill (illness) and Julian Reese remained in the rotation for a 16-45 team. While Washington general manager Will Dawkins had expressed optimism last month about Davis suiting up before the end of the season, the team now plans another formal evaluation in two weeks to gauge whether Davis can increase his on-court work.
The announcement came the same day the team prepared to debut Trae Young in a Wizards uniform on Thursday, a separate roster development that will unfold while Davis continues his staged return. The club declined surgery for the hand injury and will use the two-week recheck to measure progress and determine next steps for ramping up activity.
The next confirmed milestones are the Wizards' home game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday and Davis’ scheduled re-evaluation in two weeks; the team will update his status after that follow-up assessment.
