PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers center Ariel Hukporti suffered a season-ending right Achilles tendon tear in Monday night's preseason game against the New York Knicks, the team said Tuesday.
Hukporti, who signed a free agent deal with Philadelphia in July, suffered the injury in the first quarter. He went down grabbing at his right leg after the non-contact injury before leaving the game.
The team said Hukporti will undergo surgery later Tuesday.
The 76ers signed Hukporti to a $3.4 million, one-year deal to add frontcourt depth behind two-time NBA scoring champion Joel Embiid and Adem Bona. Hukporti averaged 2.2 points in 54 games with the reigning NBA champion Knicks last season.
The 24-year-old Hukporti, who is from Germany, was the final pick of the 2024 draft by Dallas and had his rights traded that night to the Knicks.
___
