NBL27 Squad News: Macdonald injury update

Melbourne United Nominated Replacement Player Sean Macdonald is set to seek specialist opinion to correct instability within the ACL in his left knee.

Following an initial surgery to the ACL in August 2025, Macdonald encountered an instability episode in with his previous NBL team that damaged the reconstructive ACL graft.

After meeting with specialists, conservative management was an option presented to the guard, with a realistic chance to allow return to sport for the latter part of NBL27. 

As he built his basketball loading in rehabilitation, it became apparent the graft in this knee was not going to tolerate a successful return to sport, leading him to seek further specialist opinion in planning for a second ACL reconstruction.

“This is obviously a disappointing result, however I’m confident this is the right decision moving forward to get me back on the court,” Macdonald said.

“When I signed with United as the NRP, I knew there was not any pressure to get back on the court quickly. It’s been amazing working within this group since arriving here in Melbourne, and I’m confident the team is capable of achieving great things while I’m on the sidelines.”

Macdonald will miss the entirety of the NBL27 season, with a successful surgery and recovery allowing him to return to the court in time for the start of the NBL28 preseason.

High Performance Manager, Steve McAdam, outlined his belief that the guard can manage the rehab well across the next 9-12 months.

“During his time in Melbourne so far, it’s become clear that Sean is a great worker who has a really positive impact on those around him,” McAdam explained.

“He has been really diligent with his rehab, doing everything asked of him as we worked through the conservative management plan we had laid out.

“Once we discovered that the graft would not be able to withstand further load as we progressed through this process, the decision was made to have Sean seek a specialist opinion.”