Nets’ Irving has surgery on injured right shoulder

NEW YORK — Kyrie Irving underwent surgery Tuesday to repair the injured right shoulder that ended his first season with the Brooklyn Nets after just 20 games.

The Nets said the procedure to relieve the impingement was performed by Dr. Riley Williams III at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The team said Irving is expected to make a full recovery.

Irving began having trouble with the shoulder as he worked to get back in shape after another injury in the preseason. The pain worsened in November, early in the regular season, and he missed 26 games before returning in January.

Irving got a cortisone shot on Dec. 24 but acknowledged that surgery still might be necessary. The decision to have it was reached last month on the night the Nets returned from the All-star break.

He finished with averages of 27.4 points, 6.4 assists and 5.2 rebounds, and became the first player in franchise history to have multiple 50-point games in a season. He also missed time because of a sprained right knee.

▶ Liangelo Ball was offered a G League contract for the remainder of this season, a person with knowledge of the situation said.

The expectation is that Ball will sign the contract relatively soon, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the contract has not been signed. Ball has been working out for about two months with the G League’s Oklahoma City Blue, who have 12 games left on their regularseason schedule.

Liangelo Ball is the brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo

Ball and 2020 NBA draft lotteryslot candidate Lamelo Ball. The Blue are the affiliate of the NBA’S Oklahoma City Thunder.