Hukporti to undergo surgery after tearing Achilles in Sixers’ preseason opener

Hukporti to undergo surgery after tearing Achilles in Sixers’ preseason opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers have suffered a preseason injury hit at center.

An MRI confirmed that Ariel Hukporti has a torn right Achilles tendon, the Sixers announced Tuesday afternoon. Hukport will undergo surgery later in the day, according to the team.

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The Sixers didn’t provide an official timeline for Hukporti’s potential return, but it will clearly be a long-term absence. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the injury is “season-ending.”

Hukporti suffered the injury Monday night in the first quarter of the Sixers’ preseason-opening win over the Knicks. Without any contact, he fell to the floor while defending Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Sixers on Monday were also without centers Joel Embiid, Adem Bona (left foot sprain) and Tacko Fall (left hip sprain). Embiid participated in the Sixers’ Blue-White scrimmage Saturday and looked good physically. As of last week, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said the team’s hope was that Bona would be able to play in at least a couple of preseason games.

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Hukporti’s injury is a substantial blow to the Sixers’ center depth and raises questions about whether the team will tinker with its roster at the position during the season.

Though Hukporti was the Knicks’ third-string center last year, he appeared to have a higher chance at regular minutes with the Sixers. He likely would have competed internally with a fellow third-year big man in Bona. Outside of their traditional centers, the Sixers’ possible options at the five include Dominick Barlow, Dean Wade, LeBron James and Jabari Walker.

It didn’t take long for Hukporti to become well-liked by his new teammates and coaches.

Walker described him as a “brother” Monday night. Jaylen Brown called the 24-year-old German a “great guy.”

“Huk has been a joy to have,” Brown said. “He’s been great in the locker room. It sucks to see a guy like that go down.”

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/hukporti-undergo-surgery-tearing-achilles-153503280.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-06 15:35:00

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