Malik Monk Injury History

Malik Monk is an American shooting guard who plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. Monk is known for his ability to provide instant offense off the bench. He was the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award in the 2023-2024 season. Monk is an explosive guard who can shoot and drive to the basket, often finishing with thunderous dunks. He already has several poster dunks to his name.

Before entering the NBA, Monk played high school basketball at East Poinsett County High School in Lepanto, Arkansas, and Bentonville High School in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he was a five-star athlete. He then attended the University of Kentucky, where he was named SEC Player of the Year. Malik Monk was drafted 11th overall in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets. Since then, he has grown into an elite offensive player, capable of making an impact from the bench. Monk has carved out a niche for himself as an athletic scorer. In the 2023-24 NBA season, Monk averaged 15.4 points off the bench on 44.3% field goal shooting and 35% from 3-point distance. Monk’s NBA teams till 2024 include stints with the Charlotte Hornets (2017–2021), Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2022), and the Sacramento Kings (2022–present). In the 2024 offseason, the Kings signed Monk to a four-year, $77.9 million contract.

Malik Monk’s Injury History

After entering the league in 2017, Malik Monk’s NBA career has been relatively healthy, barring a few injuries that impacted various stages of his career, especially during some critical times. Below is a detailed look at Monk’s notable injuries since joining the NBA according to Fox Sports as of November 12, 2024 -

Date	Injury
4/2/24	Knee
3/30/24	MCL Sprain
12/23/23	Foot
12/21/23	Foot
4/6/23	Lower Leg
4/3/23	Leg
2/11/23	Ankle
1/6/23	Leg
1/2/23	Right Shoulder
12/31/22	Wrist
2/1/22	Groin
1/28/22	Groin
12/16/21	Health and Safety Protocols
5/7/21	Ankle
4/2/21	Ankle
3/27/21	Foot
12/18/19	Hip
12/11/19	Finger
11/28/19	Finger
11/26/19	Finger
11/28/18	Quad

Injuries Malik Monk Sustained in the NBA

Ankle Injury (2017 Summer League)

Selected 11th overall in June 2017, Malik Monk’s professional career had a rough start when he suffered an ankle injury in a pre-draft workout. The injury sidelined him for Summer League play, and this delayed his integration into the team. Monk admitted that this setback left him behind in preparations for the September training camp. However, he eventually recovered and went on to have a healthy and productive rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets.

Fractured Right Thumb (2018 Summer League)

Before his sophomore season, Malik Monk again sustained an injury in a summer league. In his first 2018 Summer League game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Monk had another setback with a fractured right thumb. This injury sidelined him for the remainder of the Summer League and was out for eight weeks. Fortunately, Monk returned in time for the regular season and played the 2018-19 season mostly injury-free.

Sprained Ankle (2021-22 Regular Season)

On April 1, 2021, Malik Monk suffered a sprained ankle in a game against the Brooklyn Nets. This injury kept Monk out for the next three weeks, resulting in 15 missed games. Monk was having a solid season, averaging 13.1 points with efficient shooting splits off the bench, but his absence resulted in the Hornets not making the playoffs again.

Sprained Right MCL (2023-24 Regular Season)

During a critical stretch late in the 2023-24 season, Malik Monk suffered a sprained right MCL after a collision with Luka Dončić in a game against the Dallas Mavericks. This injury forced Monk to miss the last nine regular-season games, right when the Sacramento Kings were pushing for a playoff spot.

Monk’s absence impacted the Kings’ chances to qualify for the playoffs significantly, as they went 4-5 in those 9 games and ultimately landed in the play-in tournament. Without Monk, their sixth-man standout who was second in Sixth Man of the Year voting, the Kings lost a play-in game for the 8th seed and missed out on the playoffs.