Embiid to miss remainder of season due to knee

The Philadelphia 76ers said Friday that star Joel Embiid will miss the remainder of the regular season as he and the team continue to look for a long-term solution for a troublesome left knee that has plagued his season.

Embiid had increased swelling in the knee following a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night, and underwent a new round of imaging on Monday to determine why his knee has not responded well to the treatment protocols he has received this season. The 76ers and Embiid consulted with dozens of doctors and specialists to determine the best path forward for the 7-footer.

All season, Embiid has tried to play through pain in his knee, hoping it would improve as he got into better condition. He received numerous injections throughout the season, sources said, hoping to reduce the swelling and discomfort enough to enable him to play and be available for the 76ers.

Instead of improving as he played more, the pain and swelling have increased. And in recent weeks, that has shown in Embiid’s and the team’s performance. Nonetheless, there were also stretches of the season when teammates and coaches would see Embiid perform well in practices, then sit out of upcoming games, sources said. His daily status appeared fluid all season, and it led to frustration among all parties.

Embiid played just 39 games last season after tearing the meniscus in his knee. He had surgery in early February, came back in early April, was part of the 76ers’ playoff run and then won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team over the summer. He acknowledged earlier this month that he didn’t have enough time to recover after surgery.

The 76ers, who opened with championship hopes, have lost nine straight games and 11 of their past 12 contests, falling to 20-38 amid an injury-marred, disastrous season. Even when Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey all play, Philadelphia is just 7-8.

The 76ers’ recent skid has been significant for the franchise in a potentially good way; Philadelphia has broken a tie with the Nets and has sole possession of the sixth-worst record in the NBA. The 76ers’ first-round pick in this draft is top-six protected, otherwise it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Throughout this star-crossed season, Embiid was never able to stay on the court for any sustained period of time. Embiid played in only 19 games, meaning he has missed 39 of the 76ers’ 58 games so far en route to a 20-38 record.

In Saturday’s loss, Embiid was slow to get up late in the third quarter when he lost the ball and hit the court. He was then benched in the fourth after he scored just 14 points in 31 minutes and missed all six of his 3-point attempts. In his final two games this season, the strain of the injury was noticeable as Embiid scored 15 or fewer points in consecutive contests for the first time since May 2021.

Embiid — the 2022-23 NBA MVP — was selected as an All-Star in each of his past seven seasons prior to this one. This season, the 30-year-old has had one of his worst outputs: his lowest scoring average since 2017-18 (23.8 points); his lowest rebounds per game (8.2) since his 2016-17 rookie year; and career lows in blocks per game (0.9), field goal shooting (44.8%), 3-point shooting (29.9%), effective field goal percentage (48.1%) and win shares (1.5).

The 76ers’ 2024-25 regular season started with a league investigation into the player participation policy, which eventually resulted in a $100,000 fine for the organization’s public comments from president Daryl Morey and coach Nick Nurse that did not properly reflect Embiid’s health issues with his knee. The NBA also issued a three-game suspension to Embiid in early November for shoving a columnist in the locker room after a game in Philadelphia.

The situation around Embiid made it difficult for the Sixers to form any kind of identity, with George missing periods of time as well with groin, knee and finger injuries. George has needed treatment to navigate his injuries, with sources saying he received pain-killing injections for 4-5 consecutive games prior to the All-Star break.