Indiana women’s basketball star Mackenzie Holmes is undergoing knee surgery, she announced in a statement on social media on Wednesday.
Holmes declared for the upcoming WNBA Draft, but shared that her surgery will keep her out for the entire 2024 season.
“To ensure my body is healthy and my playing career is as long and successful as possible, I have decided to get the necessary surgery in May to prevent further issues and alleviate the pain it has caused,” Holmes said in the statement. “I have declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft and pray that a team honors me with a selection knowing I will be ready for the start of the 2025 Training Camp.”
Holmes battled issues with her left knee dating back to her freshman year of high school in Gorham, Maine. Those knee problems flared up and impacted her at the end of her last three seasons in Bloomington. She missed eight games in 2022 after a minor midseason knee procedure, and she never got back to full capacity after returning to action. In 2023, the issues resurfaced during the Big Ten Tournament, and Holmes was affected by it in the NCAA Tournament. This year, Holmes banged knees with a Maryland player during IU’s regular-season finale, and it kept her sidelined for most of the next game against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
“My major focus at these times was to get back on the court as quickly as possible to be with my teammates and help our team succeed,” Holmes said in the statement. “While the entire medical staff at IU was wonderful in doing everything to rehabilitate and prevent the injury, all while getting me back on the court safely, I never took the steps to correct the problem and the damage it caused.”
The forward wrapped up her illustrious Hoosiers career this season and left a lasting legacy. She became the program’s all-time leading scorer in February, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall against Purdue. She’s also IU’s winningest player, its only two-time All-American, and its lone first-team All-American.
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