76ers center Ariel Hukporti suffered a season-ending right Achilles tear in Monday’s preseason game against the Knicks, Philadelphia announced Tuesday. The 24-year-old backup big man will have surgery later that day.
The injury happened five minutes into Philadelphia’s preseason opener, with 7:06 left in the first quarter. Hukporti went down on a noncontact play while defending, immediately grabbing his lower right leg, according to ESPN. He was helped off the court during a timeout and did not return. The 76ers went on to beat the Knicks 120-97.
Ariel Hukporti Achilles Tear Confirmed By 76ers
Philadelphia scheduled an MRI on the injured Achilles for Tuesday, and that scan led the team to confirm the tear would end Hukporti’s season, per the Houston Chronicle. He heads into surgery Tuesday, and the team has not released a recovery timeline. Coach Nick Nurse rested star center Joel Embiid in the preseason opener, a call that now stands out with Philadelphia’s frontcourt suddenly stretched thin.
Who Fills The Void
Philadelphia already entered the preseason shorthanded at center. Adem Bona and Tacko Fall both sat out the opener, leaving Hukporti as the lone backup behind Embiid on the night he got hurt. Fall, listed at 7-foot-5 on an Exhibit 10 training camp deal, was diagnosed with a left hip sprain after an MRI last Wednesday and was expected to be reevaluated in about two weeks, per ESPN.
That puts Fall’s availability for the regular-season opener in doubt. With Hukporti sidelined for the year, Bona now stands as the only healthy backup center behind Embiid, and Philadelphia lacks proven depth beyond him.
Hukporti’s Season Context
Philadelphia signed Hukporti to a one-year, $3.4 million deal in July specifically to add frontcourt depth behind Embiid and Bona, after he won a championship with the Knicks. He averaged 2.2 points in 54 games for New York last season in a reserve role. Hukporti, a native of Germany, was the final pick of the 2024 NBA Draft by Dallas before his rights were immediately traded to the Knicks. The injury wipes out his first season in Philadelphia before it officially begins.
What’s Next
The 76ers open the regular season Oct. 20 on the road against the Knicks, the same opponent Hukporti was hurt against in the preseason. Philadelphia still has time before that opener to sort out its center rotation, with Fall’s reevaluation and Bona’s status likely to shape those decisions. No further update on Hukporti’s recovery has been announced beyond Tuesday’s surgery news.
Reporting from CBS Sports, ESPN, Sporting News and Houstonchronicle contributed to this story.
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