PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers suffered a tough injury blow early in their preseason matchup with the New York Knicks on Monday night. With Adem Bona and Tacko Fall already dealing with ailments, the Sixers could ill afford to lose another big man.
Ariel Hukporti suffered a non-contact injury early in the first quarter on Monday and needed a lot of help to get to the locker room. Obviously, he did not return after playing just five minutes and coming up with an assist. It's a tough blow for somebody who plays so hard and got off to a solid preseason start.
The Knicks and Sixers all huddled around Hukporti before he was helped to the locker room and coach Nick Nurse gave an update on him.
"They’re gonna do the imaging tomorrow (Tuesday),"
said Nurse. "Right Achilles they're gonna look at."
Ariel Hukporti leaves the game after suffering a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/IRjPYGhfYA
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 5, 2026
Hukporti has been a player who has caught the eye of his teammates and earned the respect of everybody on the roster. After the win over the Knicks, plenty of members of the Sixers gave a lot of love and well wishes to Hukporti:
Jaylen Brown
"Hukporti’s such a great guy. Just a great communicator. I hope it's nothing too severe. I guess they're gonna get some second image and stuff like that, but Huk has been a joy to have. He's great in the locker room. So, it sucks to see a guy like that go down."
Nurse on Hukporti
"I just saw him for a little bit during the game. Gave him a big hug. He's been a joy to coach in the short time he's been here. Really a good dude. So, we'll just hope for the best."
Jabari Walker
"I say this a lot. These are my brothers, so that is especially hard for me because I've seen the work that he puts in. He just came off an injury, and his energy has been great. Great locker room guy. Dang, that messed me up. Honestly, yeah, that messed me up. Yeah."
VJ Edgecombe
"I feel for him for sure. It's sad to see anybody go down. Regardless of if it's my teammates, the opposing player. It's just sad to see anybody go down. So, I'm just praying that he's whatever—I don't know what it is yet. I'm just praying it's something that won't, obviously, be won't be down on himself on this thing because, obviously, injuries can play a big part of your mental health, and that's the most important thing."
More Walker
"Early on, right away, he was super cool, outgoing, and home. He's just gonna talk to you lively, same person every day. So, it's a deeper connection when you know somebody on that level. It's more than basketball. So, when I heard that news, you don't wish that on anybody."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Multiple 76ers react to losing big man Ariel Hukporti in preseason win
