Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will miss the remainder of the NBA regular season with a left knee injury, the team announced Friday.
Embiid, 30, appeared in only 19 games for the 76ers this season. He has struggled when on the court, averaging his fewest points per game (23.8) since 2020.
“The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have been consulting with top specialists regarding ongoing issues with his left knee,” the team said in a statement. “After further evaluation, it has been determined that he is medically unable to play and will miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.”
Embiid’s left knee has been an issue since last season, when he played in only 39 games because of a torn meniscus. He underwent surgery on the knee last year, and returned in time for Philadelphia’s last five regular season games and first-round playoff loss to the New York Knicks.
Embiid also played for the U.S. men’s national basketball team in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he missed the start of the NBA season with what the 76ers termed “left knee management.”
Embiid did not make his season debut until Nov. 12, and has been in and out of the lineup since. Earlier this month, he said another surgery on his left knee could be an option.
“I think the straightforward answer is that when you’ve got something that’s inconsistent, at some point, you’ve got to do something about it,” Embiid told reporters. “We don’t know what it is. We’re looking into every option.”
In addition to his injuries, Embiid also missed three games this season because of a suspension for a confrontation with a reporter in the locker room following a game. Embiid was upset with the journalist after a column that mentioned Embiid’s son and dead brother.
With their star player in and out of the lineup, Philadelphia has struggled. Entering Friday, the 76ers are 20-38 and in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.
How Philadelphia finishes the regular season will be consequential.
The 76ers currently have the sixth-worst record in the NBA. Philadelphia owes its 2025 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it is protected for picks one through six, meaning the 76ers will keep their first rounder if it falls within that range.
Philadelphia drafted Embiid third overall in the 2014 draft. He missed the first two seasons of his career due to injury before making his debut in 2016. In his career, Embiid has averaged 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, though he has been unable to lead the 76ers to a conference finals, often due to injury.
Since the end of the 2022-2023 season, when he won MVP, Embiid has appeared in only 58 regular season games. The big man has four years and $299.5 million remaining on his contract after signing a three-year extension last September.
