Kristaps Porzingis went down with a left knee injury after dunking the ball in the second quarter of the Knicks game against the Bucks on Tuesday night. The team later confirmed he tore his ACL. He will miss the rest of the season after surgery to repair the damage.
Kristaps Porzingis’ injury is a torn ACL, Knicks confirm
This looks bad.
Porzingis went to the floor and stayed down in pain. He was helped up by two players, and could barely put any weight on his leg as he went to the locker room.
ESPN’s Ian Begley added that Porzingis walked on his own as he went to the hospital. Porzingis is just the latest NBA star to see his season end prematurely. DeMarcus Cousins ruptured his Achilles.
Porzingis had been named an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career in January; the game is scheduled for February 18 in Los Angeles. He will no longer play, though injured players typically making an appearance to be introduced.
Porzingis is the fourth member of the All-Star Game’s Team LeBron to be ruled out due to injury after Cousins, Kevin Love, and John Wall. NBA commissioner Adam Silver will choose an injury replacement from the Eastern Conference to take Porzingis’ spot.
Per Jeff Stotts’ research, ACL injuries typically force players to miss up to a year of action. Unlike with Achilles injuries, however, ACL injuries do not spell doom for careers, especially for young players.
This story will be updated.
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