Sixers’ Paul George underwent surgery after injuring his left knee in a workout, team says
The 6-foot-8 forward will begin a rehabilitation program and be reevaluated before the start of the season. George has been plagued by injuries since he joined the Sixers last year.
Paul George might be one of the unluckiest 76ers when it comes to injuries.
The team announced that the forward underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Monday at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center in New York.
Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow performed the surgery on the nine-time All-Star. Glashow has worked with and rehabbed numerous athletes, including George’s teammate Joel Embiid and former Los Angeles Clippers teammate Kawhi Leonard.
The surgery came after George suffered the injury during a recent workout. The 6-foot-8 forward will begin a rehabilitation program and be reevaluated before the start of the season.
Unfortunately for George, injuries have been the norm during his short stint with the Sixers.
The 35-year-old was ruled out for the remainder of 2024-25 season on March 17, the day he received injections in the left adductor muscle in his groin and his left knee.
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Prior to the procedure, George had sat out the previous six games while consulting with doctors on treatment options for his ailments. His first season with the Sixers was finished after playing in only 41 games.
George averaged 16.2 points, the fourth-lowest average of his 15 NBA seasons, after signing a four-year, $211.5 million maximum-salary contract in July to form a Big Three with Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
The veteran’s injury problems started during the preseason.
He was sidelined three weeks after hyperextending his left knee, which led to a bone bruise, during an Oct. 14 exhibition game against the Atlanta Hawks. George suffered the same injury during the Sixers’ Nov. 20 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
He also was hampered by left groin soreness, right ankle soreness, and a torn tendon in his left little finger. In all, he missed 26 of the first 67 games because of injuries and ailments before being shut down for the season.
He’ll correct this latest injury under the supervision of a doctor familiar with the Sixers organization. Embiid had left knee surgery performed by Dr. Glashow on April 11 at the same center.
It was the 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star’s second left knee surgery in 14 months and third in nine seasons. Embiid only played in 19 games this past season after playing in 39 the season before.
Even before Monday’s surgery, there were concerns about the health of Embiid and George.
“Well, I think that the biggest thing is obviously going to be on the health of these guys and how quickly we can get them back on the floor, working at their game, right?” Nurse said before an April 7 game against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center.
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Both perennial All-Stars endured woeful seasons as they lacked their normal burst. The big question heading into the summer: Can they regain their old dominant form?
The questions didn’t end at Embiid and George. Jared McCain (left knee meniscus surgery) and Eric Gordon (right wrist surgery) were also shut down for the remainder of the season. Several other players, including Tyrese Maxey (sprained right finger), have been out for an extended period.
“There’s, obviously, a good number of them that need to get taken care of, get back to health, but obviously, Joel and Paul will be the big concerns,” Nurse said on April 17. “Can they get back and get ready to go?
“And I guess we won’t find that out for a little while, and then you start unpacking and then you get back to thinking there’s some really, really good players there and start piecing it together and then we get ready to build out the rest of the roster around them.”
Speaking to a group of reporters Friday in Las Vegas, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said the Sixers will need Embiid, George and Maxey to all be healthy this season to win a title.
“I don’t think we can do it without that,” Morey said. “I would like to say that, but I don’t see it. So, yeah, I do think we’re very dependent on all those guys, including Joel.”
Now, there’s a new question facing the Sixers: how much will Monday’s procedure impact the upcoming season?