Mercury forward Dupree has knee surgery

Published Jul. 24, 2012 2:03 p.m. ET

foxsports

PHOENIX – Phoenix Mercury forward Candice Dupree underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her left knee on Tuesday and could miss the remainder of the season.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Evan Lederman in Phoenix. Recovery time is estimated at six to eight weeks. The Mercury will resume their season after the Summer Olympics on Aug. 16. The season concludes on Sept. 23.

Dupree sustained a knee injury on June 17 in the first quarter of the game against the Tulsa Shock. The team decided on surgery during the WNBA’s month-long hiatus after the knee failed to heal completely.

She ranks second on the team in scoring (14.8 points per game) but missed nine of the Mercury's final 10 games before the break due to the injury, playing only nine minutes in the July 7 game against Atlanta. The seventh-year forward has missed only one game in her first six seasons and had made 151 consecutive starts before the injury forced her out of action on June 20.

Injuries have plagued the Mercury (4-15) since before the start of the season, with all three of their top players from last year missing considerable action. Penny Taylor suffered a season-ending knee injury before reporting to training camp, and Diana Taurasi battled a strained hip flexor that kept her out of 17 of the season’s first 19 games.