Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen will be sidelined for at least two weeks after an MRI on Thursday revealed symptomatic hip impingement with associated inflammation and a bone bruise. ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the update on X amid a wave of conflicting reports about the NBA’s involvement in verifying the results.
Shams Charania Provides Lauri Markkanen Injury Update Amid NBA Doctor Controversy
Charania was first with the official diagnosis of Jazz star Markkanen on Feb. 26.
“Utah’s Lauri Markkanen will be re-evaluated in two weeks after an MRI on Thursday showed symptomatic hip impingement with associated inflammation and bone bruise, sources tell ESPN. Markkanen also twisted an ankle in practice Wednesday but those tests returned clean,” Charania reported on X.
The injury itself was only part of the story. The Athletic’s Tony Jones had earlier set off a firestorm with a post revealing that the NBA was sending independent doctors to Utah to verify Markkanen’s MRI results. The tweet spread rapidly before Jones deleted it and corrected himself.
“Lauri Markkanen is undergoing his MRI, I’m told, so the Jazz should have results coming. The NBA is evaluating the results, as standard practice. They did not send medical personnel to Utah. That part I got wrong. My apologies,” Jones said in a follow-up post.
NBA insider Marc Stein of the Stein Line also moved to set the record straight on X.
“The NBA says it is not sending an independent doctor to Utah to sit in on Lauri Markkanen’s scheduled MRI today as widely reported. The league office will have access to the MRI results as stipulated by the CBA and its Player Participation Policy,” Stein posted.
The reason the NBA’s involvement drew so much attention in the first place is the league’s intense scrutiny of the Jazz’s alleged tanking efforts.
In games on February 7 and February 9 against the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, the Jazz sat both Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the entire fourth quarter. The league previously fined the Jazz $500,000 after commissioner Adam Silver described the franchise’s behavior as “overt” tanking. He made clear the league was watching closely.
The Jazz are 13th in the Western Conference with an 18-40 record, having lost their last three games. The franchise has already ruled out several veterans, including Jusuf Nurkić and Jackson, with Utah focused on protecting its top-eight protected 2026 first-round pick.
Against that backdrop, an injury to Markkanen during Wednesday’s practice was always going to draw scrutiny from the league. He is the franchise’s most valuable asset and is in the middle of the best season of his career.
The Finnish forward is averaging a career-high 26.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 47.7% from the field and 35.5% from three.
Markkanen will now be re-evaluated in two weeks. Given the league’s ongoing scrutiny of the Jazz and Utah’s tanking concerns, his return timeline will continue to draw attention well beyond just the injury itself.
