Unable to tolerate the pain anymore and concerned about doing further damage, the Seattle SuperSonics' All-Star decided to undergo season ending surgery on his left ankle.

Allen, who is averaging a career-high 26.4 points and made his seventh All-Star appearance last month, has been bothered by inflammation in his ankle from bone spurs. He missed Seattle's previous two games and decided to go ahead with the surgery after meeting with Dr. Richard Ferkel in Los Angeles on Friday.

Ferkel, a noted specialist on ankle injuries, operated on Allen's right ankle in 2003. No date has been set for the surgery, which Ferkel will do in Los Angeles, but Allen would like it to be soon.

"I hate to sit on the sidelines and watch," Allen said. "I've had a lot of tough times the past two, three weeks just getting in, getting out and trying to play games."

The ankle first started bothering Allen in February, but the injury wasn't revealed until March 1 when Allen missed the Sonics' game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Surgery seemed an option then, but Allen was told no more structural damage could be done to the ankle, and chose to play through the discomfort while trying to keep alive Seattle's fleeting playoff hopes.

The injury didn't appear to affect Allen. After sitting out on March 1, Allen scored at least 22 points in each of the next seven games. But last Sunday in Portland, Allen struggled with his movement and shot, missing 15 attempts and scoring just 12 points.

Coach Bob Hill expected Allen to re-examine his situation once the Sonics' returned.

"I was anticipating it," Hill said. "The injuries that we've had this year have just been insurmountable."

Allen originally planed to meet with a doctor at Duke University, but couldn't get a flight to North Carolina. Instead, he met with Ferkel, who thought there might be more than just bone spurs in the ankle.

The fact that Seattle entered the game against San Antonio on Sunday six games out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference helped make Allen's decision easier.

"I've dealt with playing with pain before but when you start dealing with biomechanical things that may determine or affect how you play or how your body is able to work then that's when we get put in the situation we're in here," Allen said.

Allen also missed nine games in December with a bone bruise in his right foot. Ferkel plans to scope Allen's right ankle as well to clean up any scar tissue left over from his surgery four years ago.

Aside from the injuries, it's been a career season for Allen. He scored a career-high 54 points on Jan. 12 against Utah and scored 30 or more points 18 times. His 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game are his best since the 2003-04 season.

Damien Wilkins is expected to start in Allen's place for the remainder of the season.

"It makes sense for Ray to go forward and have the surgery," Sonics' general manager Rick Sund said on Sunday. "He's been playing with pain for some time now, and all parties involved agree that this is what is best for Ray in the long run."