In the dying minutes of BYU's win versus Miami, Dawson Baker went down holding his knee and had to be helped off the court by two of his teammates.
In the Cougars' game the next day, the sixth-year senior from Southern California showed up to support his teammates against Dayton in a wheelchair.
Tough to see Dawson Baker in a wheelchair.
— Ben Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) November 29, 2025
Judging the mechanism and his current state, the prognosis doesn’t seem overly optimistic for a return any time soon. pic.twitter.com/5JaKZZ3z9b
Baker released a statement on Monday, confirming that he had "a torn ACL, torn lateral meniscus, mild PLC involvement, grade 2 MCL and LCL sprains, bone bruising, muscle/tendon strains and small impact fractures."
Baker has often been described as the glue guy for this BYU team and will be heavily missed this season. He joins forward Nate Pickens a another member of coach Kevin Young's players is sidelined for a large portion of this season.
His heart and passion for this program have been on full display for his entire career at BYU.
Last season, during the NCAA tournament, a video of Baker went viral for his reactions from the locker room after being ejected during the Cougars' Sweet 16 matchup against Wisconsin.
BYU's locker room celebration cam captured Dawson Baker's end-of-game reaction 🥹
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025
(via @BYUMBB)pic.twitter.com/ybwUw5KGR9
"There is no other fan base I would put my body through this extreme agony for," Baker said. "The amount of support and love shown to me has been overwhelming and inspiring."
Baker's journey with basketball and BYU has been a challenging one.
He started his career as a player at UC Irvine and said he wore No. 1 because that was the only offer he got to play in college out of high school.
After a few years a UC Irvine, Baker entered the portal and was excited to get the opportunity to play at BYU.
Upon transferring, he struggled with multiple injuries. After recovering, he found it hard to make a difference on the team.
Last year, Baker was able to find his role and was a standout player who helped propel the team to a Sweet 16 season in coach Kevin Young's first season.
When asked about all the challenges that he has had to face in his career, Baker said, "Because of all the things in my past, it has made me who I am today."