Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been the talk of the NBA this season despite not stepping foot on the court yet. Embiid’s on-court absence could end soon, however, as the team is hopeful he could be cleared for action as soon as Wednesday night’s matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Sam Amick.
Embiid has not played yet due to what the team is calling “left knee management.”
The big man tore his meniscus late last season, returned for the playoffs, then re-aggravated the injury in the first round against the New York Knicks. He played the remainder of the series, though, 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 that 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 some sort of setback, and the Sixers have been vague with their updates, which has made the whole 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 their findings, the league fined the Sixers $100,000 for “violating league injury reporting rules.”
The Sixers — who saw Paul George make his team debut Monday night — are off to a terrible 1-5 start and the pressure has started to mount, both internally and externally. Embiid had an altercation with a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist in the locker room following a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.
In October, the columnist, Marcus Hayes, had written a story for the Inquirer with the headline “Joel Embiid disrespects the Sixers, the game, its greats, and himself. Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley are right to rip him.” Hayes not only criticized Embiid’s injury history, both this season and in the past, but brought up his son and deceased brother, both of whom are named Arthur.
Embiid was not speaking to the media at that point, and addressed reporters for the first time this season on Nov. 1. At that press conference, he pushed back.
“When I see people saying, ‘he doesn’t want to play,’ I’ve done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk for people to be saying that,” Embiid said. “I do think it’s bull—-. … I’ve done way too much for this f—ing city to be treated like this. Done way too f—ing much. But like I said, I wish I was as lucky as other ones, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trying and not doing whatever it takes to be out there, which I’m going to be here pretty soon.”
After the Sixers’ loss to the Grizzlies on Saturday, Embiid confronted Hayes when the locker room opened for post-game media availability. The two traded words before Embiid shoved Hayes and the two were separated by team security. Shortly thereafter, the league announced it had opened an investigation into the situation which could result in a possible suspension for Embiid.
Due to his balky knee and the league investigation, Embiid’s exact status remains murky. It is clear, though, that he’s nearing a return, 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 contend for a title this season, but will have to work their way back into the playoff picture first.