Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid will undergo surgery to repair the lateral meniscus in his left knee, the team announced Sunday night.
There was no immediate timetable per how long Embiid will be sidelined but it isn’t expected to be a season-ending injury. The 76ers said they would provide an update after the procedure.
Embiid has been having issues with his left knee in recent weeks and missed games against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 27 and Portland Trail Blazers on Monday due to soreness.
He returned to the floor Tuesday at the Golden State Warriors. He had 14 points and seven rebounds in almost 30 minutes, but he went back to the locker room with 4:04 left in the game after Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga landed on his knee during a loose-ball scrum.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that Tuesday’s injury had nothing to do with the left knee soreness that kept Embiid out of the previous two games. On Thursday, the team was fined $75,000 for not including Embiid on the injury report in “an accurate and timely manner” before the Denver game.
Embiid, 29, is the reigning NBA MVP and also is on pace to lead the league in scoring for the third straight season. He was averaging 35.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 blocks but played in just 34 of Philadelphia’s 48 games while dealing with injuries.
As part of the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, players must play a minimum of 65 regular-season games in order to be eligible for certain awards, including MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and the All-NBA teams.
–Field Level Media
Tony Bennett broke up the football news cycle in dramatic fashion on Thursday when the University of Virginia confirmed that he is stepping down immediately as the program’s basketball coach….
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett will announce his retirement in a press conference Friday morning, the program confirmed in a social media post Thursday. Bennett, 55, won the 2019 national…
MINNEAPOLIS — Breanna Stewart understands the stakes. So do all of her teammates. The New York Liberty are one win away from clinching their first WNBA championship. They will try…
Virginia coach Tony Bennett to announce retirement Friday
‘Job’s not finished’: Liberty near first title, face Lynx in Game 4
Report: Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard (knee) out indefinitely
Bulls G Lonzo Ball back at practice after emotional return