Philadelphia’s injury troubles off the court have continued right until the very end of the season, with Joel Embiid set to undergo yet another knee surgery which has ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Another knee surgery for Joel Embiid
There have been very few sightings of Joel Embiid on the floor this season for the Philadelphia 76ers as he has sat on the bench with various injuries.
Embiid’s biggest problem has always been with his left knee and he has already undergone surgery to have it repaired earlier in his career.
Now for the second time Embiid will have surgery on his knee, with the 76ers confirming that their former MVP is going to miss the remainder of the season.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee next week, a team official tells ESPN. Embiid was ruled out for season in late February as he and the 76ers met with doctors to determine the best treatment to alleviate his knee issues. pic.twitter.com/3Be9DzYjfl
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 2, 2025
Of course Embiid missing the rest of this season is no real loss for Philadelphia as they have already been eliminated from playoff contention after a campaign riddled with injuries to all of their biggest stars.
Along with Embiid – new trade acquisition Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and rookie sensation Jared McCain all sustained long-term injuries in a season that never really took off for Philly.
Embiid was without a doubt the Sixers biggest loss though and they never looked likely to advance to the postseason without their seven-time All-star. Philadelphia currently has a record of 23-53 and sit 13th in the Eastern Conference.
Joel Embiid (lack of) availability in the NBA
See below for how many appearances Embiid has made for the Sixers in each of his nine years in the league.
- 2016-17: 31 games
- 2017-18: 63 games
- 2018-19: 64 games
- 2019-20: 51 games
- 2020-21: 51 games
- 2021-22: 68 games
- 2022-23: 66 games
- 2023-24: 39 games
- 2024-25: 19 games
This year was by far the worst for Embiid since he was drafted to the NBA in 2016 yet he still averaged 23.8 points per game when he did feature.
As a player who has failed to play more than 60 games in the last two years combined, there was fears that Embiid could retire at the end of this season to save his body from any future harm.
However with surgery now planned, the 31-year-old is hoping to make a return to action in 2025-26. Although only time will tell how he recovers from a disastrous season and yet another operation.
