Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid to undergo procedure on lateral meniscus injury, team says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid will undergo a procedure this week to repair a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee, the team said on Sunday.
The Sixers said an update will be provided following the procedure and it's unclear how long the reigning MVP will be out.
Embiid got an MRI after he suffered the injury during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors last week that revealed the injury. Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on the 7-footer's left leg and he left the game with about four minutes remaining after scoring 14 points and limped into the locker room.
Embiid will now likely miss the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 18, after he was voted in as a starter for the seventh time.
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Embiid's chances of winning a second straight MVP award are now over. Before the 2023-24 season, the NBA and NBAPA agreed to a new rule that a player must play at least 65 regular season games to be eligible for the MVP and several other awards. Embiid will miss his 15th game on Monday night when the Sixers face the Dallas Mavericks.
But when Embiid was on the court and healthy, he was more dominant than last year's MVP season. He's averaging a career-high in points at 35.5 points per game, which leads the league, and assists at 5.7.
Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points and had 18 rebounds in a 133-124 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Jan 22.
Not Embiid's first meniscus injury
Unfortunately, Embiid is no stranger to playing through pain or various injuries throughout his career. He's fractured his orbital bone in his face and injured the navicular bone in his foot, among other ailments.
But a meniscus injury is something the big fella has dealt with three times in his career, including Thursday night's news.
During his rookie year in the 2016-17 season, Embiid underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.
Years later in the 2021 playoffs, Embiid suffered a small lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
And in last year's playoffs, Embiid played through a sprained right knee that he suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Nets.
Does this change the NBA trade deadline for the Sixers?
With Embiid sidelined for an extended period of time, does it change what the Sixers do for Thursday's NBA trade deadline? That will be up to Daryl Morey.
The Sixers' president of basketball operations could make a deal to potentially help the Sixers in Embiid's absence, or he could stand pat with the squad they currently have.
The Sixers are 30-18, good for fifth in the Eastern Conference, but have lost five of their last six games. They've also been dealing with injuries to forwards Tobias Harris and Nicolas Batum and guards Tyrese Maxey and De'Anthony Melton and Embiid during that stretch.
Without Embiid, the Sixers are 4-10 this season.