Philadelphia 76ers superstar
center Joel Embiid has suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his
left knee, the team announced on Thursday evening.
Embiid, the league’s reigning
MVP, suffered the injury during the Sixers’ loss against the Golden
State Warriors. Embiid will be out through the weekend while a
treatment plan is finalized, the team announced.
The Sixers’ medical staff,
several specialists and Embiid have yet to come up with a plan for
how to treat his injured meniscus. Embiid and the Sixers will likely take time
over the next several days to determine whether his knee needs
surgery.
Meniscus tears can usually be
treated without surgeries, and individuals recover in roughly
six-to-eight weeks. If Embiid needs surgery, he might be sidelined
longer.
Philadelphia currently has the
fifth-best record in a tight Eastern Conference. This is a huge
blow to the Sixers, considering they’ve gone 3-9 in games without
Embiid.
Embiid’s injury dashes his hopes
of a second-straight MVP award, as he likely won’t be eligible due to the NBA’s
new 65-game rule. The 7-foot center was the MVP frontrunner
prior to this injury, averaging 36 points, 11 rebounds and 6
assists.
Embiid will likely need to be
replaced in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis (his seventh
All-Star appearance). Also, this creates some doubt over whether
he’ll be able to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics in
July.
