Robert LaPrade, MD, of Vail, Colo.-based The Steadman Clinic will finally operate on Portland Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli's knee after a cadaver donor was found, according to ESPN.
Here are five things to know:
1. Dr. LaPrade will perform the surgery at Vail, Colo.-based The Steadman Clinic.
2. Mr. Ezeli's 6-foot-11 stature had stalled his donor search for months.
3. The recovery timetable remains unclear, although one source claimed Mr. Ezeli may return to the court in a year.
4. Mr. Ezeli has missed the entire season after recovering from off-season knee injections that included a bone marrow aspirate.
5. Arthur Ting, MD, of the Fremont (Calif.) Surgery Center performed arthroscopic surgery on Mr. Ezeli's left knee last year while the center played for the Golden State Warriors, according to CBS Bay Area. In 2013, Neal ElAttrache of Los Angeles-based Kerlan-Jobe Clinic operated on Mr. Ezeli's right knee to reinforce its medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament.
More sports medicine articles:
15 orthopedic surgeons treating professional athletes in February 2016
Study: Comprehensive arthroscopic management procedure improves glenohumeral osteoarthritis patients' condition — 5 observations