The Philadelphia 76ers announced Sunday that seven-time All-Star center Joel Embiid will sit out for the remainder of the NBA preseason due to left knee injury management.
Embiid, 30, wasn’t with the Sixers on the start of their three-game preseason road trip to Iowa Friday and at Boston on Saturday. The 7-footer instead met with doctors Thursday to check on the status of his left knee.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Philadelphia’s goal is to “put Embiid in the best possible position to make it through the season, and to have his knee as close to 100% as possible.”
The Sixers say Joel Embiid is progressing well in his ramp up process for his left knee, and will continue to stay on an individual treatment plan to prepare for the upcoming regular season. The team makes it official he won’t play in any preseason games.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) October 13, 2024
Last season, Embiid only played in one preseason game. Embiid, who is entering his ninth season, was expected to remain a limited participant for the exhibition contests anyways.
This means Embiid will not play until at least the season opener on Oct. 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks in Philadelphia.
Furthermore, the Kansas product played in just 39 games last season after a knee injury in late January spoiled his chances of defending his MVP award. He dropped 25 to 30 pounds of weight entering training camp.
Embiid said he hopes to lose more weight in the weeks ahead “to take pressure off his knee,” per Bontemps.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid scored a career-high 70 points before suffering a meniscus injury in his left knee
In the 2023-24 season, Embiid averaged career highs of 34.7 points, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 52.9% from the field and career bests of 38.8% from 3-point range and 88.3% at the free throw line.
Additionally, in Philadelphia’s 133-123 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 22, he recorded a career-high 70 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block in 37 minutes of action.
During the offseason, the 76ers landed Paul George as a free agent and extended both Embiid and Tyrese Maxey to long-term deals. The team also retained free agents Kelly Oubre Jr. and Kyle Lowry and signed Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Andre Drummond.
In September, the Sixers reached a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension with Embiid that guarantees him a total of $299.5 million through the 2028-29 season.
Embiid declined his $59 million player option for the 2026-27 season before signing the new contract extension. He will earn $69 million in the final year of the new deal.
According to Spotrac, his career earnings will climb to $514.8 million with the new agreement, the fourth highest in NBA history behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and George.
In other news, George made his preseason debut Friday in Iowa, while all eight of those aforementioned Sixers players sat out Saturday’s loss in Boston on the second night of a back-to-back.
The 76ers take on the Hawks in Atlanta on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
