Philadelphia 76ers fans are getting another kick to the groin this week with Joel Embiid’s health.
The 76ers do not know when their star center Embiid will be able to play for them this season, Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Friday. Charania further describes Embiid’s knee issues as “debilitating.”
“My understanding is even the Philadelphia 76ers don’t know exactly when Joel Embiid is going to play, when he’s not gonna be playing,” said Charania.
“The reality is his knee issues have been debilitating,” Charania added of Embiid. “He’s essentially going to have to master how to play through issues, pain thresholds [on] any given day … the reality that he will be feeling different ways after different workouts.”
Here is the full clip of Charania’s remarks.
Shams:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) September 26, 2025
"My understanding is even the Philadelphia 76ers don't know exactly when Joel Embiid is going to play, when he's not gonna be playing" pic.twitter.com/5OxTOhN7pU
The seven-footer Embiid has been plagued by various leg injuries throughout his career, but his left knee became especially problematic after he tore the meniscus in it during a game in Jan. 2024. Embiid underwent surgery at the time to repair the meniscus and returned to play just two months later, but he never truly recovered from the injury.
Last season for the 76ers, the former NBA MVP Embiid was limited to just 19 games played due to his troublesome left knee. With the 76ers near the bottom of the standings, Embiid eventually decided to shut it down in early April and undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee.
This offseason has also since seen other negative reports emerge about the health of Embiid’s knee. That said, fans were slightly encouraged by recent photos of Embiid looking stunningly slim during light offseason workouts.
But it is a major problem for the 76ers to not even know right now when Embiid will be available to play on a day-by-day basis. We already heard earlier this year that the organization was growing frustrated with Embiid’s lack of availability. Now it sounds like a super load management plan may have to be in effect next season with the seven-time All-Star Embiid, who is still owed $187.6 million over the coming three seasons.
