Embiid was hobbled all season by a left knee that probably need more post-surgery recovery time during the offseason.
Joel Embiid has been shut down by the Philadelphia 76ers for the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA season, finalizing a decision that seemed inevitable in recent weeks.
The 76ers announced Friday that Embiid will miss the rest of the season to focus on rehabilitating a knee injury. The team said that Embiid has been consulting with specialists and came to the decision after further evaluation.
The treatment plan and timeline are still to be determined. Philadelphia says that Embiid and his specialists will be focusing on Embiid’s “long-term health and performance.”
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 28, 2025
Concern over the condition of Embiid’s left knee has increased with the seven-time All-Star admitting to reporters on Feb. 20 that the injury isn’t allowing him to play to his regular standard.
“The way I was playing a year ago is not the way I’m playing right now. It sucks,” he said. “I probably need to fix the problem, and then I’ll be back at that level. But it’s hard to have trust when you’re not yourself.”
Following the Sixers’ loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 22, in which Embiid sat out for the entire fourth quarter, the team and their star center reportedly decided to consult doctors to explore “alternative options” for addressing the left knee while current treatments, including injections, have been ineffective.
The 76ers and Joel Embiid are consulting doctors and considering alternative options on his injured knee, sources tell ESPN. Sides have hoped for progress in Embiid’s body, but his efforts to play and current treatments, including injections, have not provided any improvement. pic.twitter.com/GXeqxC7Nwj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
Sixers coach Nick Nurse, who felt that the team was playing better with Guerschon Yabusele in that matchup with the Nets, acknowledged that Embiid was struggling but praised him for trying to play through his limitations.
“He’s giving us what he can. Obviously, he’s not himself,” Nurse said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We all know that he’s not certainly the guy we’re used to seeing playing at a super-high level. I commend him for giving us what he can.”
Embiid missed Philadelphia’s Feb. 24 game versus the Chicago Bulls while he and the team consulted with doctors and specialists on imaging results taken of his left knee.
Due in part to Embiid’s difficulties, the 76ers are slogging through a 20-38 season that will likely end without a playoff berth. After signing Paul George in free agency, Philadelphia was viewed as a challenger to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference and a possible NBA championship contender.
Limited to 19 games because of injuries, injury management and suspension, Embiid averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks this season.
Those numbers are well below the 34.7 points, 11 rebounds and 1.7 blocks he averaged in 2023-24, albeit in 39 games due to a torn meniscus. Embiid acknowledged that he probably didn’t allow himself enough time to recover from surgery on that injury before playing in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Embiid, 30, is two seasons removed from winning NBA MVP, averaging 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
