Khalifa Diop's status changed from out to cleared on the injury report at 7:26 PM ET on Thursday, Oct. 22. The Cavaliers center is available for the season opener at Philadelphia, which was scheduled to tip at 7:00 PM ET.
What happened
Khalifa Diop, the Cavaliers' 24-year-old center, was cleared on the injury report at 7:26 PM ET on Thursday, Oct. 22. He had been listed as out on Wednesday, Oct. 21, with a left knee issue. Before that he was day-to-day with the same left knee issue on Sunday, Oct. 11. His first listing came on Thursday, Oct. 8, as day-to-day with an undisclosed issue. The report gave no detail and no comment with the clearance.
What it means for the Cavaliers
Cleveland opens the 2026-27 season at the 76ers on Thursday, Oct. 22, with a 7:00 PM ET tip on ESPN. The team is 0-0. Diop has no season line yet, and there is no with-or-without record because no regular-season games have been played. In games without him, Evan Mobley played 31.9 minutes and scored 18.2 points, and Jarrett Allen played 27.1 minutes and scored 15.4 points. Donovan Mitchell averaged 33.5 minutes and 27.9 points, and James Harden averaged 33.8 minutes and 20.5 points. How many minutes Diop gets in the frontcourt rotation has not been announced.
What to watch
The clearance arrived after the scheduled tip in Philadelphia. Whether Diop actually checks in against the 76ers has not been announced. Watch the box score from the opener and the next injury report to see whether his left knee shows up again. No other Cavaliers are on the report. The team has not announced anything about limits on his minutes.
Is Khalifa Diop playing at the 76ers on Thursday, Oct. 22?
He was cleared on the injury report at 7:26 PM ET, so he is available. Whether he will play and for how long has not been announced.
When will Khalifa Diop be back?
He is cleared now. He had been out with a left knee issue as of Wednesday, Oct. 21, and no further timeline has been announced.