Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is, once again, dealing with a health concern, only this time around, it’s his right knee. Embiid has had his fair share of injuries even prior to stepping on an NBA court — his earliest injury being a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his right foot just days before the 2014 NBA draft, where he was eventually selected as the third-overall pick by the Sixers. Now, just over 11 years later, Embiid is still facing setbacks as he attempts to effectively contribute to the Sixers’ success on a more frequent basis.

In February 2024, Embiid underwent a surgical procedure on his left knee to repair a torn lateral meniscus he suffered against the Golden State Warriors. Embiid was able to return for the playoffs. However, he was not fully recovered, as the franchise’s star center evidently played through extreme knee discomfort on top of having Bell’s palsy, which primarily impacted the left side of his face. Embiid went on to join the USA Men’s National Team in the Paris Olympics that summer, where he contributed to the country’s fifth-straight gold medal. While fans hoped for their center to be healthy to start off the 2024-25 NBA season, Embiid’s season debut did not come until the second week of November.

Embiid was shut down for the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season Feb. 28 after appearing in just 19 games for the Sixers due to lingering knee complications. Key injuries and a lack of other available players such as Paul George and breakout rookie Jared McCain contributed to the disastrous trajectory of the season, which assisted the medical staff and Embiid in their decision to address the knee issue earlier. Embiid ended the season with yet another knee procedure, only this time, it was minimally invasive. The arthroscopic knee procedure was used as an attempt to regulate the pain and swelling that Embiid had been dealing with from the culmination of the 2024 playoffs, the 2024 Olympics and the 2024-25 season.

Embiid entered the 2025-26 season on a minutes restriction as a way to manage flare-ups of the left knee. This restriction includes refraining from playing in back-to-back games in order to monitor any swelling or pain. While Embiid has been performing well, it was announced Nov. 11 he would miss that night’s game against the Boston Celtics due to right knee soreness, which is not the knee that has been the site of ongoing complications throughout his career. Following the team’s 102-100 home victory, the nerves of Sixers fans were calmed as head coach Nick Nurse said there were “no structural issues with Embiid’s knee and that he was day-to-day.”