Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been the talk of the nba this season despite not having set foot on the court yet. However, Embiid’s absence from the court could end soon, as the team is hopeful he can be cleared for action as soon as Wednesday night’s matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Sam Amick.
Embiid has not yet played due to what the team calls “left knee tightness.”
The big man tore his meniscus late last season, returned for the playoffs and then aggravated the injury again in the first round against the New York Knicks. However, he played the rest of the series and also participated in the Olympics over the summer, helping Team USA win another gold medal at the Paris games.
As a result, the Sixers were hopeful he would be ready for the start of the season, but that was not the case. There has been no indication that Embiid has suffered a new injury or had any sort of setback, and the Sixers have been vague with their updates, making the entire process confusing.
The nba eventually opened an investigation into the situation after the Sixers sat Embiid (and Paul George, who was dealing with a knee bruise at the time and has since returned to action) for the season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. After compiling his findings, The league fined the Sixers $100,000. for “violating the league’s injury reporting rules.”
The Sixers, who saw Paul George debuts with the team on Monday night — they’re off to a terrible 1-5 start and the pressure has started to mount, both internally and externally. embedded had an altercation with a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist in the locker room after a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
In October, columnist Marcus Hayes had written an article for the Inquirer with the headline “Joel Embiid disrespects the Sixers, the game, their greats and himself. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are right to criticize him.” . Hayes not only criticized Embiid’s injury history, both this season and in the past, but also mentioned his son and deceased brother, both named Arthur.
Embiid was not speaking to the media at the time and addressed reporters for the first time this season on Nov. 1. At that press conference, he responded.
“When I see people say ‘he doesn’t want to play,’ I’ve done too much for this city, putting myself at risk of people saying that,” Embiid said. “I think it’s stupid. … I’ve done too much for this damn city to be treated like this. I’ve done too much. But like I said, I wish I was as lucky as everyone else, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trying or doing what whatever is necessary to be there, something that I will be here very soon.
After the Sixers’ loss to the Grizzlies on Saturday, Embiid confronted Hayes when the locker room opened for postgame media availability. The two exchanged words before Embiid shoved Hayes and the two were separated by team security. Shortly after, the The league announced it had opened an investigation. about the situation that could result in a possible suspension of Embiid.
Due to his reluctant knee and the league’s investigation, Embiid’s exact status remains murky. It’s clear, however, that he’s close to returning, which is great news for a Sixers team that desperately needs him back. Only the Bucks and Utah Jazz have worse records than the Sixers, who still hope to compete for a title this season but will have to fight their way back to the playoffs first.
