The Philadelphia 76ers lost center Ariel Hukporti, who suffered a torn right Achilles tendon during a preseason game against the New York Knicks. He underwent surgery and is expected to be sidelined until the end of the 2026-2027 season.
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Hukporti suffered a non-contact injury in the first quarter, less than five minutes into his preseason debut with the 76ers. He then had to be helped off the court by former Knicks teammate Karl-Anthony Towns.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan revealed that the German player had torn his right Achilles tendon. The Philadelphia 76ers later announced that Hukporti had undergone surgery to repair the injury, and the procedure was successful.
Hukporti previously played as a backup player for the Knicks before joining the 76ers. He began his NBA career after being selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 58th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The Mavericks then traded him to the Knicks on draft night . The 24-year-old ended up spending two seasons with the Knicks, appearing in 79 games.
Hukporti was also part of the Knicks' squad when the team played the 2025-2026 season and ended with the NBA championship.
In a preseason game against the Knicks, Hukporti played for 4 minutes and 54 seconds before leaving the game with an injury. He didn't score, but did record one assist .
The injury is a blow to the Philadelphia 76ers' center depth ahead of the 2026-27 NBA regular season. Ariel Hukporti had previously signed a one-year contract with the club in the summer of 2026.
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