Pacers' Caris LeVert Expected to Make Full Recovery After Kidney Cancer Surgery
Indiana Pacers guard Caris LeVert underwent successful surgery Monday to treat renal cell carcinoma, a form of cancer, in his left kidney.
The team said no other form of treatment will be needed, and LeVert is expected to make a full recovery. No timetable has been given for his return to basketball.
LeVert's cancer was found during his physical with the Pacers after he was sent to Indiana as part of the four-team trade that landed James Harden in Brooklyn. The Pacers sent Victor Oladipo to Houston to fulfill their part of the deal.
"I didn't have any symptoms. I was playing in games. I hadn't missed any games this season yet. I was feeling 100 percent healthy," LeVert told reporters last week. "So, in a way, this trade definitely showed and revealed what was going on in my body; so I'm definitely looking at it from that side and definitely humbled to know that this trade could've possibly saved me in the long run."
LeVert was averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds for the Nets before the trade. The Pacers have remained optimistic LeVert will return to basketball.
"This organization's gonna step up, help him get through this, get him back on the court," team president Kevin Pritchard said. "I'm super confident that we're gonna have him on the court."
