Indiana Pacers swingman Caris LeVert had successful surgery to treat a renal cell carcinoma of his left kidney, the team announced Tuesday. LeVert will be out indefinitely and is expected to make a full recovery from the procedure, the Pacers said in a statement.
OFFICIAL: Caris LeVert underwent successful surgery to treat renal cell carcinoma of his left kidney. No further treatment is needed. Caris is expected to make a full recovery and will be out indefinitely. https://t.co/5UAOhdzAj9
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 26, 2021
LeVert was acquired by the Pacers in the four-team blockbuster trade that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets. During LeVert’s physical to complete the trade, an MRI revealed a mass on his left kidney.
He has not played in a game for the Pacers this season. LeVert was expected to replace Victor Oladipo (who was traded to Houston) and help replace forward T.J. Warren, who is out indefinitely after having surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot.
Indiana is also dealing with an injury to All-Star forward Domantas Sabonis, who exited Monday’s 129-114 win against the Toronto Raptors with a left knee contusion. Center Myles Turner, the NBA blocks leader, went down last weekend with a fractured right hand. Team officials said surgery won’t be necessary and Turner has played and started each of Indiana’s last three games.
"Very grateful for such support I've received from not only the Pacers players, but the front office, the fans, and everybody associated with this program," said @CarisLeVert.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) January 19, 2021
Watch the full interview: https://t.co/ECn9fKgYqe pic.twitter.com/jKUvQpGBmo
In each of his first four NBA seasons, LeVert’s scoring totals have improved despite his largely coming off the bench during that span. He was averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 2020-21, the last two categories being career bests.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
