October 6, 2026 · By The Sports Nus Staff · 3 min read
The Philadelphia 76ers lost backup center Ariel Hukporti for the entire 2026-27 season. The team announced Tuesday that an MRI confirmed a torn right Achilles tendon, suffered on a non-contact play in Monday night's preseason opener against the New York Knicks.
Hukporti was starting his first game in a Sixers uniform, against the team that drafted him, when he went down with 7:06 remaining in the first quarter while defending Karl-Anthony Towns. He grabbed his lower right leg and did not return. Philadelphia went on to win the game 120-97.
via Reuters/Field Level Media
He is scheduled for surgery, and ESPN reported the injury is expected to end his season.
via USA Today
The timing is brutal. The 24-year-old signed a one-year, $3.4 million contract in July after winning an NBA championship with the Knicks, and the Sixers brought him in specifically to stabilize the backup center spot behind Joel Embiid. He logged 79 games with two starts across two seasons in New York, averaging 2.1 points and 2.7 rebounds in just over nine minutes a night.
via Reuters/Field Level Media
The injury leaves Philadelphia thin at the five. Projected backup Adem Bona is sidelined with a foot sprain and has yet to take part in team workouts this preseason. Exhibit 10 center Tacko Fall is also out and will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days. Once Bona is healthy, he is expected to be the primary backup behind Embiid, but the Sixers will likely have to make a move to add another big man.
via USA Today
There is a small piece of relief available: Philadelphia is eligible to apply for a $1.7 million disabled player exception, half of Hukporti's salary, according to ESPN.
via USA Today
Coach Nick Nurse offered little beyond the confirmed diagnosis on Tuesday. Asked for an update before the MRI results were announced, he said there was "no update on Ariel Hukporti beyond that it is an Achilles injury. Imaging tomorrow."
via Adam Aaronson
The Sixers open the regular season against the Knicks on October 20. Fantasy managers should not expect any standard-league value here: Bona is a deep-league stash name once the foot heals, and the real question is which veteran big Philadelphia signs with the disabled player exception.