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Desmond Claude injury update: Washington guard to step away from on-court activities

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Washington guard Desmond Claude is stepping away from on-court activities amid his recovery from an injury, he announced via social media Friday. He suffered a severe ankle sprain during the preseason.

Claude has appeared in 12 games this season after transferring to Washington from USC, including nine starts. During that time, he averaged 13.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

But before the season started, Claude injured his ankle and made his season debut Nov. 18 against Southern. However, he said he’s still in pain and dealing with a knee issue. As a result, he’s stepping away from on-court work.

“As previously reported, during pre-season practice I suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain resulting in two completely torn ligaments in my ankle as well as identifying a third partially torn ligament,” Claude wrote. “After meeting with multiple doctors for a diagnosis and recovery timeline, I was informed that it would be at least a 12 Week timeline to a potential recovery. However, after 5 weeks of aggressive physical therapy, due to my desire to help the team and impact winning, the basketball staff and I collaboratively decided to allow me to attempt to come back after 5 weeks, which was before the completion of the medically recommended 12 weeks of recovery.

“While my recovery initially seemed to exceed expectations, over the past several weeks, I’ve been playing through unbearable pain, swelling and have a subsequent additional injury to my knee. Therefore today I’ve meet with my coaching staff to inform them that due to ongoing complications from that injury, I must step away from all on-court activities and prioritize my health. Thank you for understanding during this tough time as I prioritize my road to a full recovery.”

Desmond Claude spent one season at USC in 2024-25. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists across 33 games, including 32 starts. He also shot a career-best 48.2% from the field and 30% from three-point territory. After entering the transfer portal, he became the No. 29 overall player in the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings.

Prior to his arrival at USC, Claude played two years at Xavier and became a starter in 2023-24. He averaged a career-high 16.6 points while adding 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Washington is currently 10-7 in Danny Sprinkle’s second season at the helm, including a 2-4 mark in Big Ten play. The Huskies are getting ready to take on Michigan State on Saturday.