National Basketball Association

Portland's Festus Ezeli to undergo rare surgery, receive donation from cadaver

Published Mar. 5, 2017 11:24 a.m. ET

Nick Schwartz

Former Golden State Warriors big man Festus Ezeli hasn't played since the 2016 NBA Finals, and he won't play a single minute for the Portland Trail Blazers this season after signing a two-year, $15.2 million deal with the Trail Blazers last summer.

Ezeli, who had arthroscopic knee surgery 13 months ago, received a bone marrow aspirate injection in August that kept him out for the start of the season, and complications in his recovery ruled him out indefinitely. The Blazers announced that Ezeli will now undergo a season-ending procedure - which, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes, has been months in the making.

https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/838203090729852932

Ezeli wouldn't be the first athlete to receive a donation from a cadaver, but the timeline for his recovery is unknown.

Via ESPN:

"Ezeli has sought a donor for months, sources said, but because of his 6-foot-11 stature, finding a matching donor was problematic.

.... Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is the most notable recent athlete to have had such a procedure. While with the Cincinnati Bengals, Palmer tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during a 2006 playoff game. It was considered a possibly career-threatening injury."