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Unknown When Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid Will Be Cleared To Play

NBA, Philadelphia 76ers, Joel Embiid
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It’s unknown when Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will be cleared to play.

Embiid underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery in April. He only played in 19 games last season.

The Sixers signed Embiid to a three-year, $192 million extension in September 2024. Embiid, 31, is owed $248 million over the next four seasons.

Philadelphia went 24-58 last season. Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey only played in 15 games together, as all three All-Stars dealt with injuries.

Embiid averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 2024-25 while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.9% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the free-throw line. He had seven double-doubles and one triple-double.

A Kansas product, Embiid has career averages of 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists with the Sixers. He’s made seven All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams. 

Embiid has played in only 58 games the last two seasons.

The Sixers drafted Embiid in 2014 with the third overall pick. Embiid, the 2023 MVP, missed the first two years of his career due to injuries. 

The Sixers haven’t advanced past the second round of the postseason in the Embiid era. Embiid has played with Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, James Harden, Maxey and George. 

Embiid helped Team USA win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer. He scored a career-high 70 points against the San Antonio Spurs during the 2023-24 season.

A future Hall of Famer, Embiid hasn’t been healthy for the past few years. Hopefully, this is the season he’s finally able to stay healthy and play at a high level again, like he did in 2022-23 when he won the MVP Award.

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Ashish Mathur
Ashish Mathur is an NBA and WNBA writer for DallasHoopsJournal.com. He has covered the NBA since 2015 for ClutchPoints, Sportscasting, Heavy Sports, NBA Analysis Network, Fadeaway World, Hoops Wire and Athlon Sports and the WNBA since 2025 for Athlon Sports and DallasHoopsJournal.com. You can follow Ashish on X @amathur25.