Sunday 30 December 2018 08:13, UK
Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will miss the rest of the season as he needs surgery on a chronic Achilles injury.
Wall has struggled with Achilles issues in recent seasons and made the decision to go under the knife after visiting with specialists in Wisconsin.
He had scored 20.7 points per game this season, adding 8.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds, but had struggled on defense and was often unable to compete fully in team practices.
The five-time All-Star will not be able to return to basketball activities for six-to-eight months after the procedure, which will see bone enlargements removed from the back of his left heel and repair tendon damage.
Surgery is expected to be undertaken by the end of next week.
Wizards coach Scott Brooks said: "He's battled this throughout the year, and we tried to manage it.
"He's done a good job of managing it certain games, and certain games it wasn't as good. But he never, ever complained. Never complained to me.
"I knew. I knew there were games that he wasn't up to par and he didn't play as well as he would have liked or move as well as he liked.
"He didn't jump or move defensively as well as he liked but he wanted to compete for his team, but it got to the point where we had to make some tough decisions. That's why he met with a specialist."
Wall is under contract with the Wizards until the end of the 2022-23 season, with an extension kicking in at the end of this season meaning he will earn $37.8m.
The Wizards managed to win without Wall on Saturday night, out-lasting the Charlotte Hornets 130-126, but they are among the stragglers in the Eastern Conference on a 14-23 record.
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