Warriors star Jimmy Butler undergoes right knee surgery to repair anterior cruciate ligament

By Canadian Press on February 9, 2026.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Golden State Warriors guard Jimmy Butler underwent right knee surgery Monday for his torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that ended his season last month.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Bert Mandelbaum in Los Angeles, and the team said he would begin a rehabilitation program immediately with an update on his progress expected early next season.

Butler was hurt in the third quarter of a win against his former Miami team on Jan. 19 moments after catching a pass in the paint and went down hard and awkwardly following a collision with the Heat’s Davion Mitchell — who was called for a foul.

Butler’s knee buckled upon his landing and he grimaced and grabbed at the knee while down for a couple of minutes. He needed teammates Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield to escort him off the court and to the locker room after the fall on the Warriors’ offensive end. When he finally got up with assistance, he was unable to put any pressure on his knee.

Monday’s game against Memphis marked Butler’s 10th missed game, and the Warriors haven’t been the same without him.

Butler averaged 20.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals playing 31.1 minutes over 38 games. He was acquired by the Warriors last year in the trade that sent Andrew Wiggins to the Heat.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Janie Mccauley, The Associated Press