Lakers' Jarred Vanderbilt Suffers Gruesome Finger Injury Vs Thunder

The injury luck for the Los Angeles Lakers, somehow, just got worse.

Backup forward Jarred Vanderbilt suffered a right hand injury on Tuesday, May 5 during the second quarter of Los Angeles’ conference semifinal game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The injury took place with 5:51 left in the first half, when Vanderbilt’s fingers swiped against the left side of the backboard as he attempted to block a shot by Thunder center Chet Holmgren.

As soon as Vanderbilt made contact into the padding, he went down to the court in visible discomfort and was yelling as he was grabbing his hand.

According to ESPN, Vanderbilt suffered a full dislocation of his right, pinky finger.

“I just talked to him,” Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game. “He’s in as good of spirits as you can be in this situation, obviously frustrated with what happened.”

pic.twitter.com/JqH86uzL8B

— Follow: @PurpGoldLakers (@PGMediaaa) May 6, 2026

It’s unclear how long this might keep him out, but it’s worth noting that Vanderbilt is a left-handed shooter.

The NBC broadcast reported the injury was “gruesome” and indicated that Lakers trainers had to put a towel over it to conceal the injury.

In fact, the NBC broadcast showed the moment when it happened, and the Oklahoma City bench had a visible reaction when players got a closer look at Vanderbilt’s hand as he was being ushered off the floor.

“I went to go check on him (during the game) because it looked bad,” Redick said. “He was screaming and knew he had done something. We’re obviously disappointed that it happened. It’s just a freak injury.”

Look at the Thunders reaction to Vando’s injury. pic.twitter.com/KknAV1Yg2e

— Showtime Luka (@showtimeluka) May 6, 2026

The Lakers ruled Vanderbilt out for the rest of the game.

His injury comes as the team continues to be without All-Star guard Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain) and is only a week or so since Austin Reaves returned from his oblique injury.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jarred Vanderbilt injury update: Lakers forward suffers finger injury