The Filadelphia 76ers center, Joel Embiid, will miss the rest of the NBA regular season with a left knee injury, the team announced on Friday.
Embiid, 30, appeared in just 19 games for the 76ers this season. He has fought when he was on the court, averaging his least number of points per game (23.8) since 2020.
“The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have been consulting with the main specialists on in progress with their left knee,” the team said in a statement. “After an additional evaluation, it has been determined that it is medically unable to play and will lose the rest of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.”
Embiid’s left knee has been a problem since last season, when he played in just 39 games due to a torn meniscus. He underwent knee surgery last year and returned on time for the last five regular philadelphia season games and defeat for the first round in the playoffs against the New York Knicks.
Embiid also played for the National Male Basketball team in the USA in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, but the beginning of the NBA season was lost with what the 76ers called “left knee management.”
Embiid did not make his debut in the season until November 12, and has been inside and outside the alignment since then. Earlier this month, he said that another surgery in his left knee could be an option.
“I think the direct answer is that when you have something that is inconsistent, at some point, you must do something about it,” Embiid told journalists. “We don’t know what it is. We are investigating each option. “
In addition to his injuries, Embiid also lost three games this season due to a suspension of a confrontation with a journalist in the locker room after a game. Embiid was upset with the journalist after a column that mentioned the son of Embiid and the dead brother.
With his star player inside and outside the alignment, Philadelphia has fought. Upon entering Friday, the 76ers are 20-38 and in the 12th place at the Eastern Conference.
How Philadelphia ends the regular season will be consistent.
The 76ers currently have the sixth record in the NBA. Philadelphia owes its first round of 2025 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but is protected for selections of one to six, which means that the 76ers will maintain their first round if it falls within that range.
Philadelphia wrote Embiid Third in general in the 2014 Draft. The first two seasons of his career were lost due to an injury before debuting in 2016. In his career, Embiid has averaged 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, although he has not been able to take the 76ers to a final of the conference, often due to an injury.
Since the end of the 2022-2023 season, when MVP won, Embiid has appeared in just 58 regular seasonal games. The Big Man is four years old and $ 299.5 million in his contract after signing an extension of three years last September.
