Utah Jazz's Joe Ingles insists career will continue after ACL recovery

SALT LAKE CITY — Joe Ingles appreciates all the well-wishes and support he has received in the days following his serious knee injury, but the Utah Jazz forward wants to make one thing clear: His NBA career is not over.

The 34-year-old Ingles, who will soon undergo surgery to repair the torn ACL in his left knee, is determined and confident that he will return strong after a grueling rehabilitation process that could last into next season.

Ingles, the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year last season who has been an essential role player during his eight-year Jazz tenure, insists that he will continue to be a quality contributor after his comeback.

«Literally no doubt,» Ingles told ESPN. «I know probably everybody says that when they're going through this. A few days post-injury, people might think I'm a little bit crazy. But you look at people who have been through this. The MRI was a little bit of a win, I guess, with it just being my ACL.

»Then the other part of it — and we joke about it — is my game. My game has never been based on athleticism, above the rim or anything like that. I'm not writing off what this surgery is and what the rehab looks like, but everyone around the league knows how I play and what I can do."

Ingles said he struggled emotionally after his knee buckled and collapsed on a drive to the basket during Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He had not suffered a serious injury since breaking his foot at age 15 and had the NBA's longest active games played streak at 384 before sitting out due to Achilles soreness last season.

He chuckled about the outpouring of sympathy he has received this week. A longtime friend told him that a television station in his native Australia was reporting