Skip to article
The Sporting Page Real Analysis. Not Corporate

NBA

76ers lose Ariel Hukporti for season with torn right Achilles

Philadelphia announced the injury Tuesday after Hukporti went down in Monday’s preseason opener against his former team, the Knicks.

By TSP Staff
Ariel Hukporti in a white 76ers jersey boxing out Karl-Anthony Towns.
Ariel Hukporti boxes out Karl-Anthony Towns during Philadelphia’s preseason game against New York on October 5, 2026. · Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images, via Liberty Ballers

Philadelphia 76ers center Ariel Hukporti will miss the 2026-27 season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in Monday’s preseason opener against the New York Knicks, the team announced Tuesday.

An MRI confirmed the tear, and the team said Hukporti was scheduled for surgery Tuesday. He went down without contact while defending Karl-Anthony Towns in the first quarter and was helped off the court.

Hukporti joined Philadelphia on a one-year, $3.4 million contract this summer after spending his first two NBA seasons with the Knicks, Yahoo Sports reported. He started Monday while Joel Embiid sat out.

The 76ers won the exhibition game 120-97. They were also without center Adem Bona, who has a foot sprain, leaving Philadelphia with another absence in its frontcourt.

Sources and notes

  1. NBA.com News Services, MRI confirmation and announced surgery: https://www.nba.com/news/ariel-hukporti-suffers-right-achilles-tear-in-76ers-preseason-opener
  2. Dan Devine/Yahoo Sports, season-ending announcement and Philadelphia context: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/76ers-ariel-hukporti-out-for-season-after-rupturing-right-achilles-tendon-in-preseason-opener-vs-knicks-144947423.html
  3. Paul Hudrick/Liberty Ballers via Yahoo, October 5 game context and photograph: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ariel-hukporti-leaves-game-vs-233535383.html