Heat's Tyler Herro reveals 'unique' injury recovery amid practice return

Herro on 'unique' ribs injury, return to practice!

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro has missed 45 games this season due to a variety of injuries, including a recent 'right costochondral' injury to his ribs that caused him to miss the last 15 games. Herro returned to practice on Thursday and was a full participant, though he is uncertain if he will play in the Heat's next game against the Atlanta Hawks. Herro described the rib injury as 'unique,' saying he had three fractured ribs and had to play through the pain with Toradol shots initially before letting his body recover.

Why it matters

The Heat have struggled to a 29-27 record so far this season, putting them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Herro's return is a major boost as the team looks to turn things around in the final 26 games of the season. Herro is a key part of the Heat's offense, having made the All-Star team last season, so his health will be crucial to Miami's playoff push.

The details

Herro missed the first 17 games of the season due to an offseason ankle surgery, then missed 13 more with a toe contusion before the recent rib injury. He said he played through the rib pain for the first three games using Toradol shots to manage the pain, but realized he couldn't continue that approach for the rest of the season. Herro said the rib injury was 'unique' because he had three fractured ribs, making it difficult to do normal daily activities, let alone play basketball.

  • Herro missed the first 17 games of the season due to an offseason ankle surgery.
  • Herro then missed 13 more games with a toe contusion.
  • Herro missed the last 15 games with the 'right costochondral' rib injury.
  • Herro returned to practice on Thursday and was a full participant.

The players

Tyler Herro

A 26-year-old guard for the Miami Heat who made the All-Star team last season but has struggled with injuries this year, missing 45 games so far.

Erik Spoelstra

The head coach of the Miami Heat, who expressed excitement and encouragement about Herro's return to practice.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“It was unique. Once I knew what it was, it was just a matter of relaxing and letting my body recover. There's nothing I could magically do to fix my ribs; I had three, like, fractured ribs. So my ribs were in a lot of pain, just doing normal lifestyle, things I couldn't do, so there was no way I could play basketball. I played the first three games off of Torodol shots, and it was cool, but I couldn't do that for the rest of the season, so it was a matter of just letting this thing calm down.”

— Tyler Herro (ClutchPoints)

“See how he responds when we get to Atlanta. But it was very encouraging to have Tyler here in practice. You know, he had done everything he needed to do in the last few weeks to prepare for this. And it's encouraging to have him back in the mix. We're all excited about it.”

— Erik Spoelstra, Head Coach (Twitter)

What’s next

It remains to be seen what Herro's role looks like when coming back, as coming off the toe contusion, he played the first game off that injury off the bench to ease him in, then led to the starting lineup.

The takeaway

Herro's return is a major boost for the struggling Heat as they look to turn around their season and make a playoff push. His unique rib injury highlights the challenges NBA players face in recovering from injuries, but his determination to get back on the court shows his commitment to the team and the game.