Philadelphia 76ers Center Jason Smith Suffers Injury to Left Knee

By the Philadelphia 76ers
Posted Friday, August 8, 2008

Philadelphia, PA – August 8, 2008 – Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski announced today that center Jason Smith suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during normal basketball activity on Wednesday.

Smith was examined by team Physician Dr. Jack McPhilemy on Thursday evening and will receive a second opinion from Dr. Dave Altchek in the coming weeks.

No timetable has been set for his return. Additional updates will be provided when they become available.

A product of Colorado State University, Smith appeared in 76 games during his rookie season and averaged 4.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 14.5 minutes per game. In the playoffs, Smith appeared in all six games and posted averages of 3.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game. In the recently completed Las Vegas Summer League, Smith appeared in five games and averaged 18.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game.

"It's unfortunate that this happened, but Jason is resilient and he'll receive the best treatment available," Stefanski said. "I was there, along with Coach Cheeks and Tony DiLeo, when the injury occurred, which was during a routine, five-on-five drill at an NBA-approved camp held in Las Vegas . There was no contact made with Jason when he suffered the injury.

"At this point, we will continue to explore all available options in order to add an additional big man to our roster."

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