Philadelphia 76ers MVP Joel Embiid suffered a meniscus injury that will keep him out of games for an undisclosed amount of time, the team said in a statement.
“An MRI following Wednesday’s game and further evaluation over the last 24 hours revealed an injury to the lateral meniscus in Embiid’s left knee,” the 76ers said in a statement, according to Yahoo News. “Embiid, in consultation with the 76ers medical staff and several leading specialists, will be out through the weekend while a treatment plan is finalized.”
The injury appeared to happen Wednesday night when Embiid tangled with Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga on.
Joel Embiid went to the locker room after getting tangled up with Jonathan Kumingapic.twitter.com/Jq0XuAGpPO
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 31, 2024
The Athletic’s NBA Insider Shams Charania originally reported Embiid had torn his meniscus, but walked that back, claiming, “To clarify an earlier tweet, the team has not officially confirmed a tear and says that Joel Embiid will remain out through the weekend while a treatment plan is finalized.”
To clarify an earlier tweet, the team has not officially confirmed a tear and says that Joel Embiid will remain out through the weekend while a treatment plan is finalized. https://t.co/yShFejGxZv
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 2, 2024
Embiid had been putting up MVP numbers for Philadelphia, leading the league in points per game with 35.3 and adding 11.8 rebounds per game, good for 6th in the league. But a new rule could put the star’s award hopes in jeopardy. (RELATED: Hornets Coach Steve Clifford Basically Says His Team Sucks)
Prior to the season, the league mandated that to be eligible for a major award like MVP, a player must play in at least 65 of their team’s 82 games. With Embiid already having missed 13 games, he can only afford to sit out four more games before the end of the season.