Joel Embiid firmly addressed the frustrations of fans, stating, “I’ve done way too much for this city,” as he and Paul George prepare to miss their fifth consecutive game due to left knee injuries. The Philadelphia 76ers are set to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night without their star center.
Despite his ongoing injury troubles, Embiid participated fully in Friday’s practice, engaging in 5-on-5 scrimmages. George, also sidelined this season with a bone bruise on his left knee, joined him in the scrimmage, showing signs of progress.
Having skipped the preseason, Embiid has not played any official games since contributing to Team USA’s gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics. His current situation is classified by the 76ers as “left knee management,” a term that has become familiar to fans who have watched him struggle with injuries over the years. Last season, he managed to play only 39 games, primarily due to knee surgery after a meniscus tear sustained on January 30 against the Golden State Warriors.
“Everybody has been on the same page,” Embiid explained at the team’s New Jersey facility. “If your body doesn’t react well, and if your body tells you one thing (sit out). I’ve done it. From what I can tell you, I’ve broken my face twice, I came back early with the risk of losing my vision. I have broken fingers. I still came back. When I see people say he doesn’t want to play, I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that.”
Embiid’s absence from the season opener raised eyebrows within the NBA community, leading to a $100,000 fine for the 76ers. This penalty was imposed due to public statements from team officials, including president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and head coach Nick Nurse, which were inconsistent with Embiid’s health status and violated NBA regulations, even though the league determined that the player participation policy was not breached.
Drafted as the No. 3 pick in 2014, Embiid’s career has been marred by injuries, missing his first two seasons entirely. Since then, he has participated in 433 out of a possible 805 regular-season games and only 59 out of 67 playoff games.
In the 2023 playoffs, Embiid suffered a right knee sprain that sidelined him for games against the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics. His injury history includes missing multiple games in previous playoff runs, with notable absences due to an orbital fracture in 2018 and knee issues in 2019.
“I wish I was as lucky as other ones,” Embiid remarked. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not trying and I’m not doing whatever it takes to try to be out there, which I’m going to be here pretty soon.”
He emphasized that he does not regret representing his country in the Olympics and hinted at a potential return during the Sixers’ upcoming three-game West Coast road trip, starting Monday against the Phoenix Suns.
“I think really it’s being comfortable, trusting it,” Embiid said. “I want to be at my best. I don’t want to be in a situation where I’m like, I’m afraid if I do something or whatever (I get hurt again). I mentioned it since my last surgery, it was probably the toughest mentally. Mentally I’m just dealing with getting that trust back. In the past, it was just easy.”
