Hawks Center N’Faly Dante to Miss Rest of 2025-26 Season With Torn Right ACL
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The Atlanta Hawks announced Tuesday that center N’Faly Dante has suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2025-26 NBA season.
Dante, 24, sustained the injury last Friday while playing for the College Park Skyhawks during the NBA G League Winter Showcase. He collapsed after awkwardly twisting his knee on a rebound and was carried off the court.
The club said the 6-foot-11 big man is scheduled to undergo surgery in January. Because the injury is season-ending, Atlanta can apply for a disabled player exception worth $1,024,247, half of Dante’s $2,048,494 minimum salary, though the team would gain limited roster flexibility.
Dante signed a two-year minimum-salary contract with the Hawks in July after the Houston Rockets declined to match the offer. His deal had only $85,300 guaranteed for this season, but the injury guarantees him his full 2025-26 salary even if Atlanta waives him before the league-wide guarantee date of Jan. 7.
The Senegalese center appeared in four NBA games and four G League contests this season. Prior to the ACL tear, he missed more than two weeks in concussion protocol following a head injury with College Park; Friday’s game was his first action since that absence.
Dante becomes the third back-of-roster Hawk lost for the season in December. Two-way forward Jacob Toppin underwent right-shoulder surgery earlier this month and was waived, while two-way center Eli Ndiaye is slated for shoulder surgery in early January and remains under contract.
Source: HoopsRumors
