As expected, Sixers center Joel Embiid has undergone arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
According to a press release from the team, the procedure occurred on Wednesday and was performed by Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow at at NYU Langone Sports Medicine Center. Embiid will be reevaluated in approximately six weeks, per the Sixers.
The 76ers ruled out Embiid for the rest of the season on February 28 after he continued to be affected by ongoing left knee issues. He and the team spent several weeks consulting with medical specialists and weighing treatment options before deciding to go the surgical route.
The knee in question is the same one Embiid underwent surgery on in February 2024 after he sustained a lateral meniscus injury. The former MVP was able to return last April and played all six games of the Sixers’ first-round playoff series vs. New York in the spring before suiting up for Team USA at the Paris Olympics over the summer. However, he continued to deal with swelling in the knee in the fall, which delayed his season debut until November 12.
He never looked fully healthy after that, making just 19 appearances this season and averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in 30.2 minutes per game. While those numbers would be impressive for most players, the scoring and rebounding rates were well below Embiid’s career averages, as were his 44.4% field goal percentage and 29.9% mark on three-pointers.
The Sixers had reportedly been hoping that Embiid’s knee would improve over the course of the season with more reps, but when he continued to experience soreness and swelling, he began to believe he needed another surgery. The disagreement over his treatment resulted in some tension between the franchise and its star center, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Philadelphia’s season will come to an end this Sunday, since the team has fallen well out of the playoff race, so we won’t see Embiid back in action until the fall at the earliest. However, his recovery process will be fascinating to monitor over the course of the offseason. As head coach Nick Nurse acknowledged this week, getting a healthy Embiid back next season will be crucial for the 76ers to have a chance to contend in the East.
The Sixers are invested heavily in Embiid for the next several years. He is owed $179MM in guaranteed money over the next three seasons, with a $69MM player option for 2028/29.
Just delaying the inevitable. Be back on the slap for a more invasive but effective long term surgery sooner rather than later. 76ers are cooked with this guy and made it worse signing George.
Has he been vaccinated against measles is the more important question Dr.Nostradamus ?
Embiid is like the guy in the church league who is always cutting out of games a little early so he can be first in line at the dessert table (the platters they put out, brownies, etc.) Then he brown noses the pastor and tries to be his best friend. Give me a break we see right through you man.
Sounds awfully specific…like a personal experience.
Sixers should trade him, but they won’t.
Trade him for what? Scraps? Nobody is taking on that huge contract for a 31 year old that’s averaged 50 games for his career with multiple knee surgeries. Sixers are screwed.
They said nobody would trade for Ben Simmons too didn’t they?
It isn’t that they won’t….it’s that they can’t. with his knee and that contract he’s untradeable. nobody is taking him in any deal. the Sixers could attach picks and good young players and nobody is going to take Embiid until he’s on the floor and proving he’s able to play at a high level again.. and unfortunately for all involved that’s extremely unlikely to ever happen. it’s the risk you take signing big men like him to massive contracts. they are susceptible to feet and leg injuries. certainly more susceptible than most smaller players. just think of the sheer amount of times all the force from his body has pounded his lower body down onto a hardwood floor. from the time he was a huge teenager day after day, all the games and practices over that time. twisting and turning, running and jumping….he probably did well to hold up as long as he has. likely going to end up as a great Hall of Famer who just had his career cut short.
Embiid is two surgeries away from being two surgeries away.
I seriously don’t know who Sixers will draft. Their pick will impact the draft the most imo. I don’t think they have the cojones to draft Maluach. But if they do. Oh man ……. I’m praying Knicks buy a late first rd pick. Need a 4 and he will be there.