Former New York Knicks center Ariel Hukporti received devastating news on Tuesday.
The Philadelphia 76ers feared the worst for Hukporti, and an MRI confirmed.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the former Knicks center has “sustained a season-ending ruptured right Achilles tendon.”
As expected, Hukporti will be out for the year.
Ex-Knicks Center Gets Devastating News With Injury Diagnosis
The Knicks paid a visit to the Sixers on Monday night.
The two teams tipped off their preseason, and the Knicks got a chance to see Hukporti in action with his new team.
Unfortunately, Hukporti’s injury occurred within the first few minutes of the matchup. He was helped up off the court by Karl-Anthony Towns and was seen again in the second half on crutches.
The Sixers didn’t have any immediate updates on Hukporti outside of stating it was an Achilles injury. Since it was non-contact, reporters were already speculating that he could be done for the year.
“First of all, it was great to see Dillon and Ariel. Obviously, Ariel got hurt. Both of those guys are fantastic young men, and we hope that Ariel—whatever is wrong with him—he has a speedy recovery and he gets back on the floor,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said in his opening comments after the game.
“First of all, you hate to see anybody go down with an injury, but especially somebody with the caliber of person that Ariel is. Hopefully, he’ll have a speedy recovery with whatever is going on.”
Ariel Hukporti’s Knicks Run
Before signing a deal with the Sixers, Hukporti spent the first two years of his career with the Knicks.
The 24-year-old is a former second-round pick in 2024.
Over two seasons, Hukporti appeared in 79 gaes for the Knicks, averaging 9.1 minutes on the court. He made 59.5% of his shots from the field, averaging 2.2 points per game. He also came down with 2.9 rebounds per game.
Hukporti was hoping to earn a spot in the 76ers’ rotation behind Joel Embiid. Unfortunately, he’ll spend the season recovering.