Ben Simmons to undergo surgery on injured knee
New updates on the status of Ben Simmons' knee injury have been released. Per reports, the Sixers' All-Star will be undergoing surgery to repair his injured knee.
Shams Charania reported that Simmons spoke with the Sixers' medical staff and outside specialists before deciding to undergo surgery. The procedure will be to remove a loose body in his left knee where the injury occurred.
The 76ers released the following statement Saturday afternoon.
After consultation with the 76ers medical staff and several specialists, Ben Simmons will undergo surgery in the coming days to remove a loose body in his left knee. The loose body resulted from a left patella subluxation he suffered in Wednesday's game against Washington.
He will leave the NBA Campus in Orlando for the surgery.
Simmons will be leaving the NBA bubble to have the surgery done. As of now, there is no set timetable on if or when Ben Simmons will return in the NBA restart.
Most of the news that has come out surrounding this injury has been encouraging, up until now. This newest update looks like Ben Simmons not returning this season could become a reality. Simmons finds himself in a rough situation as he put in a lot of work to get back on the floor for the restart after suffering a back injury before the season's suspension.
Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski the Sixers have not ruled out Ben Simmons, but it could take a deep postseason for him to return. He would also report that the Sixers are planning to make a postseason run without their franchise cornerstone.
This is devastating and heartbreaking news for the Sixers. Joel Embiid has looked dominant on the floor in the seeding games and Ben Simmons was just starting to open new facets to his game offensively. It was starting to look like the Sixers could make a deep run at a title in the restart.
The Sixers need to keep their hopes high and remain competitive while more news comes out. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are going to have to continue to lead this team and keep playing strong in hopes that the team will have Simmons available for a postseason run.
The 76ers are currently 6th in the east and would face Boston in Round 1.
Further updates will be provided following the procedure. The Sixers play Portland on Sunday, August 9th.
Kevin McCormick and Jason Blevins cover the Sixers for 97.3 ESPN. Follow them on Twitter @KevinMcC973 and @JBlevinsNBA