76ers' Joel Embiid: League to launch an investigation
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Embiid (knee), who has already been ruled out for Wednesday's season-opener versus Milwaukee, will remain out Friday versus Toronto and Sunday versus Indiana. His "player participation" in the 76ers' health management protocols will be investigated by the league in the coming days, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
The league's investigation will focus on the 76ers' organization as opposed to Embiid himself, but the 30-year-old big man has been the subject of the league's health and reporting guidelines in the past. Philadelphia was fined last season for failing to report his pregame status in a timely manner, and Embiid's current trajectory to never play back-to-backs the rest of his career is substantive. The overall lack of activity combined with organizational ambiguity throughout the offseason appears to be generating more friction with the league office.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Sidelined to start regular season
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Embiid (knee) has been ruled out for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Bucks and likely won't play Friday in Toronto, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
The Sixers announced that Embiid continues to respond well to his individualized plan and is expected to begin ramping up for game action soon by participating in scrimmages. However, the former MVP could miss up to three games before being re-evaluated, opening up a huge opportunity for Andre Drummond.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Limited at practice
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Embiid (knee) was a limited participant at Monday's practice, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com reports.
Embiid was able to do everything but the final scrimmage, as the 76ers continue to exercise caution. This should be par for the course this season, as the franchise has made it very clear that they want to tread carefully. Embiid's status for Wednesday's game against the Bucks has yet to be determined, though Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer notes that the big man may need to participate in multiple five-on-five scrimmages to improve his conditioning and build chemistry with his teammates before getting the green light to suit up.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Will be limited in regular season
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Embiid (knee) is expected to have limitations during the 2024-25 campaign, including not playing both halves of back-to-back sets and wearing a knee brace, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
Embiid has been ruled out for the entire preseason to focus on an individual treatment plan to prepare for the regular season. While he's expected to be ready for Opening Night against the Bucks on Oct. 23, fantasy managers should proceed with caution. Embiid has played more than 60 regular-season games only four times in his eight-year career and never made more than 68 appearances in a single season. The 76ers have 14 back-to-backs in 2024-25, so even if Embiid doesn't miss time for any other injuries, he'll fail to reach the 70-game threshold again. Plans can change, but given his current regimen, Embiid is a significant risk as a first-round fantasy selection.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Out for remainder of preseason
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Embiid (rest/knee) has been ruled out for the remainder of the preseason, Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com reports.
Following a meeting with doctors on Thursday, Embiid has been shut down from game action and will focus on an individual treatment plan to prepare for the regular season. The former MVP has yet to play during the preseason but is reportedly progressing well in his ramp-up process. The 76ers open the regular season against the Bucks on Oct. 23, so Embiid has over a week to clear the final medical hurdles before suiting up.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Uncertain to play vs. Atlanta
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Embiid (rest) is uncertain to play in Monday's preseason game against the Hawks, head coach Nick Nurse told Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I don't know yet. I'll let you know," when Nurse was asked Saturday about whether Embiid would join the team in Atlanta.
Embiid has yet to feature in the preseason, and given that the 76ers have been extremely cautious with their star player, it wouldn't be surprising if he's ruled out again. If Embiid remains out, Nurse will continue to take an extended look at the 76ers' frontcourt depth of Guerschon Yabusele, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Not expected to play Saturday
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Coach Nick Nurse said Saturday he plans to rest the 76ers' vets, and Embiid is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game versus Boston, Celtics beat reporter Bobby Krivitsky reports.
Embiid didn't make the trip to play against the Timberwolves on Friday, and he is not expected to play Saturday on the road against Boston. Guerschon Yabusele will step into the starting five, and with Embiid probably out Nurse will likely take an extended look at the 76ers' frontcourt depth of Yabusele, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Not with team
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Embiid (rest) didn't make the trip for Friday's preseason contest against the Timberwolves, Tony Jones of The Athletic reports.
Embiid doesn't appear to have suffered any injury but will miss his second straight preseason contest Friday. His next chance to suit up is Saturday's preseason matchup with Boston.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Won't play Monday
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Embiid (rest) won't play in Monday's exhibition versus the New Zealand Breakers, Kyle Neubeck of AllPHLY.com reports.
Embiid and Paul George will stay in street clothes for the 76ers' preseason opener. The 2023 MVP lost 25-to-30 pounds this offseason in an effort to be healthier during the playoffs, and it'd be surprising if he plays a significant role during preseason action. Philadelphia has a back-to-back set this weekend, playing in Minnesota on Friday and in Boston on Saturday.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Focusing on playoffs
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Embiid said Monday that he lost 25-30 pounds this offseason in an effort to be healthier during the playoffs, Sam DiGiovanni of ClutchPoints.com reports.
Embiid added that there's no agenda this season other than winning during the postseason. Embiid is a seven-time All-Star and was named the 2023 NBA MVP, not to mention a laundry list of other accolades, but the big man has struggled to perform at his peak when it matters most. The emergence of Tyrese Maxey and the addition of Paul George should ease Embiid's regular-season burden, but it'll be interesting to see how the 76ers handle their star player this season. Embiid made 39 regular-season appearances last season -- his fewest since his rookie campaign -- and has never played more than 70 games in his eight-year career.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Inks max extension with Philly
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Embiid agreed to a three-year, $192.9 million maximum contract extension with the 76ers on Friday, Ramona Shelbourne of ESPN.com reports.
The MVP center was already signed through the 2025-26 campaign and had a $59 million player option for 2026-27, but he'll decline that option and tack on the three-year extension that also includes its own player option. Embiid was limited to 39 games last season due to a meniscal flap tear after playing at least 66 contests in each of the previous two seasons, but he was as productive as ever when available as he averaged career highs in points (34.7), assists (5.6) and steals (1.2) to go along with 11.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Scores 19 points in comeback win
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Embiid managed 19 points (8-11 FG, 2-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, two assists and one block in 27 minutes during Thursday's 95-91 semifinal win over Serbia.
Embiid was one of three Team USA players to score in double digits -- the others being Stephen Curry (36) and LeBron James (16), who had a triple-double. However, Embiid also led the team with three turnovers. Regardless, Team USA is advancing to the gold medal game against France.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Starting vs. Serbia
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Embiid (ankle) will start Thursday's semifinal matchup against Serbia.
Embiid was dealing with ankle discomfort and sat out the second half of Tuesday's win over Brazil. However, he's feeling good enough to play and start in the semifinal against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Sits final half versus Brazil
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Embiid was held out of the second half of Tuesday's 122-87 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics due to ankle discomfort, Tim Reynolds of Associated Press reports. The 30-year-old posted 14 points (5-6 FG, 3-3 3Pt, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, one assist and one steal across 12 minutes.
Embiid reportedly told coach Steve Kerr at halftime that he was experiencing ankle discomfort, and he was rested for the remainder of the game. While the big man's status is something to monitor ahead of the Olympic semifinals, he will likely suit up, as Team USA has a tall order ahead of it against Serbia and Nikola Jokic. Despite playing only the first half of the contest against Brazil, Embiid's ability to score and dominate on the glass amid ankle discomfort bodes well for Team USA if he returns to action in the squad's next contest Thursday.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Not starting vs. South Sudan
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Embiid isn't starting Wednesday's Olympic matchup against South Sudan.
Embiid was held in check during Sunday's matchup against Serbia, totaling four points (2-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-3 FT), two rebounds and a block in 11 minutes despite drawing the start. Anthony Davis will replace Embiid in Wednesday's starting lineup.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Gets green light Sunday
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Coach Steve Kerr said Saturday that he expects Embiid (illness) to play in Sunday's Olympic matchup versus Serbia, BasketNews.com reports.
After missing Saturday's practice due to an illness, Embiid is expected to suit up for Team USA's opening game of the group phase. The superstar will be playing in his first Olympic game for the United States, and through five exhibition matchups he has shown he will likely be a focal point on the stacked roster. Embiid is coming off another stellar campaign during which he averaged a career-high 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.7 blocks while shooting 52.9 percent from the field during the regular season.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Efficient from field in win Monday
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Embiid posted 15 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 4-4 FT), eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block across 22 minutes in Team USA's 92-88 exhibition game win over Germany on Monday.
Embiid followed up a 2-for-8 performance from the field Wednesday against Serbia with two extremely efficient outings, shooting a combined 10-for-14 across the USA's last two exhibition games. Embiid's ability to move the ball Monday was also impressive as he led the squad in assists. The All-Star has been elite on the boards through five exhibition matchups thus far, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: 39-point effort not enough Thursday
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Embiid provided 39 points (12-25 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 13-13 FT), 13 rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal over 40 minutes before fouling out of Thursday's 118-115 loss to the Knicks in Game 6 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Embiid was clearly not 100 percent healthy throughout the series, and the limitations were more noticeable as the series progressed but still posted outstanding stat lines, scoring 29 or more points in four of the six contests. He also recorded three double-doubles and a triple-double, but he couldn't do the heavy lifting on his own in the games where Tyrese Maxey struggled. Between the Play-In win over the Heat and the first-round series against the Knicks, Embiid averaged 31.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.3 blocks across 41.0 minutes per game.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Available for Game 6
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Embiid (knee) is available and starting in Game 6 against the Knicks on Thursday.
This is not a surprise considering the situation the 76ers are in, as Philadelphia must win this game to force a decisive Game 7. Embiid is averaging 31.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game in the first-round series against the Knicks.
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76ers' Joel Embiid: Questionable for Game 6
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Embiid (knee) is questionable for Game 6 against the Knicks on Thursday.
Embiid has been listed as questionable for every game in this series so far, but he's yet to miss a game, so he feels much closer to probable. While the reigning MVP hasn't looked 100 percent, he continues to stuff the stat sheet and has averaged 31.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals in 41.8 minutes.
