Joel Embiid’s 2024-25 NBA season is off to a controversial start – and he hasn’t even played in a game yet.
Embiid, first due to a nagging injury and then because of a league-issued suspension, missed the Philadelphia 76ers’ first nine games and the team has struggled without him. The 76ers, considered one of the preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference after the offseason addition of Paul George, have a 2-7 record heading into Tuesday’s nationally televised playoff rematch with the New York Knicks to start off group play in the Emirates NBA Cup.
But the franchise’s trajectory could be about to change with Embiid, less than two years removed from being named NBA MVP, on the cusp of a return to the court. Ahead of Embiid’s season debut, here’s a look at why his injury issues have left some Philadelphia fans and media grumbling and what led to his suspension:
Is Joel Embiid playing tonight?
It’s trending that way, barring a last-minute setback. For the first time this season, the 76ers did not list Embiid on their injury report going into Tuesday’s home game against the New York Knicks for the NBA’s in-season tournament. He has also served the entirety of the suspension doled out last week by the NBA.
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Joel Embiid injury update
Embiid is expected to make his season debut with the Knicks on Tuesday night in a game broadcast nationally by TNT (7:30 p.m. ET). He took part in the team’s shootaround in the morning. Embiid is coming back from what Sixers officials have deemed left knee management, a designation that drew the ire of some fans due to Embiid’s injury history and the fact that he was able to play for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.
Embiid originally injured his knee last January and was diagnosed with a torn lateral meniscus that required surgery. He returned in time for last year’s playoffs, but said he was not 100 percent while playing. Embiid said last month he’s unlikely to ever play in back-to-back games moving forward as a preventative measure.
Embiid’s injury history dates back to his entry into the NBA, when he missed what would have been his first two years in the league recovering from foot injuries after the Sixers chose him with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He has averaged more than 26 missed games per season during the eight years since then.
‘From what I can tell you, I’ve broken my face twice; I came back early with the risk of losing my vision,’ Embiid told reporters last month. ‘I have broken fingers. I still came back. When I see people say, ‘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.’
Why was Joel Embiid suspended?
Embiid’s potential return could have perhaps come sooner than Tuesday, but the 7-foot center was suspended for three games by the NBA after getting into an altercation with a local columnist in the 76ers’ locker room last week. Embiid took issue with a column written by Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer that initially referenced Embiid’s son and his deceased brother while criticizing Embiid’s professionalism and willingness to stay in shape. Hayes later took the passage out of his column.
Nonetheless, after Philadelphia’s home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 2, Embiid reportedly confronted and then shoved Hayes in the 76ers’ locker room. The NBA subsequently suspended Embiid for three games without pay, which cost him almost $1.9 million based on the three-year, $193 million max contract extension he signed in September.
Joel Embiid stats
Here’s a rundown of Joel Embiid’s career stats and accomplishments in the NBA
27.9 points per game
11.2 rebounds per game
3.6 assists per game
1.7 blocks per game
2022-23 NBA MVP
7-time NBA All-Star
5-time all-NBA selection (first team in 2023, second team in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
2-time NBA scoring champion (2021-22 and 2022-23)