the relationship between the timing of injury onset in the sport season and athletes’ emotional reaction to sport injury was investigated. twenty (10 male and 10 female) varsity and recreational athletes involved in the sport of basketball were interviewed by the researcher to determine what variables athletes consider when faced with an injury at different times of the season (pre, mid, end, post) and how these variables affect their emotional response. interviews were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed using the software program, nud ist variables including importance of the season, length of season, time remaining in year, injury status, circumstances of injury, previous experience, success of team, team involvement, goals, athlete status, personal success, social influences, and external considerations were found to influence athletes’ appraisal of the timing of injury onset which in turn, affected their emotional response to the injury experience a model is presented to explain this appraisal.