Report: Festus Ezeli to undergo knee surgery involving cadaver donor

The injury situation of Portland Trail Blazers center Festus Ezeli appears to be a little bit out of the ordinary.

ESPN’s Chris Haynes reports on Saturday that Ezeli is expected to undergo left knee surgery next week involving the use of a cadaver donor. Ezeli apparently had struggled for months to find a matching donor due to his 6-foot-11 frame but is said to have found one recently.

The 27-year-old Ezeli signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the Blazers this past summer. But he still has yet to suit up in a single game for them and is now set to miss the remainder of the 2016-17 season as well.

Haynes adds that Ezeli’s recovery could take up to a year and that such a procedure is virtually unprecedented for an NBA player. However, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer is a notable example of a professional athlete who had such an operation done, receiving a cadaver ligament after tearing his left ACL and MCL in a 2006 playoff game as a Cincinnati Bengal.

The news caps off what has been quite the tumultuous first season in Portland for Ezeli, both healthwise and otherwise.