(Reuters) — Brooklyn point guard Kyrie Irving will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his right shoulder, Nets general manager Sean Marks announced Thursday.
The injury, described throughout the season as an “impingement,” has bothered Irving since early November. He missed 26 games between Nov. 16 and Jan. 10. In that time, he visited a specialist and received a cortisone shot, but his shoulder hasn’t been 100 percent since his return to action on Jan. 12.
Irving, who turns 28 in March, is averaging 27.4 points, 6.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his first campaign with the Nets. He signed a four-year, $136 million deal as a free agent in July. More recently, a sprained knee sidelined Irving for the final five games before the All-Star break.
The Nets are 17-16 this season when Irving doesn’t play, and they are 8-12 when he has seen action. The team won 12 of its first 18 games without Irving.
