The Philadelphia 76ers could be without Joel Embiid for a long time.
Doctors diagnosed Star Center with a displaced meniscus flap in his left knee, The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Joe Vardon reported Feb. 3.
Long story short: Embiid suffered a torn meniscus.Although no official decision has been made, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday night that Embiid will undergo a procedure to repair his injury.
The Athletic previously reported that Embiid was considering surgery after dealing with knee pain all season.
The 76ers have not confirmed this information, only leaving Embiid out this weekend with a lateral meniscus injury.
If this diagnosis is correct, Embiid’s rise to NBA MVP would be all but complete. He has already missed 13 games this season and could miss four more before he is no longer eligible for the award.
The league’s new rules require an MVP to play at least 65 of the NBA’s 82 games.
Embiid won the 2023 MVP award after playing in just 66 games. Unsurprisingly, fans on social media were sad to hear that Embiid could miss even more time this year after just returning from injury.
One Philadelphia fan was emotional after hearing the news:While another suggested that Embiid undergo the surgery to ensure long-term health:
The Sixers big man has had a lot of success in the NBA, but also a lot of injuries. Specifically, Embiid’s knees have been compromised throughout his career.
In total, Embiid has missed 428 games in his career, including his first two years in the NBA due to a foot injury.
