After the ESPN broadcast reported that Joel Embiid would need another surgery, the star center clarified postgame that surgery is a possibility but not inevitable.
Updated, 7:36 p.m.: Never a dull moment with your Philadelphia 76ers.
After ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters reported during the Sixers-Bucks game Sunday that Joel Embiid told her that he would need another surgery on his left knee this offseason, the star center clarified those comments postgame. Surgery is not necessary at this moment, but could be an option if the knee continues to be an issue.
This is what Embiid said, per The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey:
On the heels of the ESPN report, Sixers center Joel Embiid was asked after the game if offseason knee surgery will be necessary.
“There’s not much to say,” he said. “I think it’s just about when … I mean, the straightforward answer is when you got something that’s inconsistent,…— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) February 9, 2025
As Daryl Morey mentioned this past Friday, Embiid’s knee is healing slower than anticipated. Morey also said that the organization is optimistic about Embiid’s long-term outlook and that these occurrences of swelling are expected to subside eventually. That organizational stance has not changed and none of the half dozen medical experts the team has consulted are currently recommending surgery, per a team source.
You might not be watching Sixers-Bucks ahead of the Eagles playing in the Super Bowl, but we got quite the news dump mid-broadcast.
According to ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters, Embiid told her that he believes he’ll need another surgery and more recovery time before his knee full recovers.
Joel Embiid believes he will need another knee surgery this offseason.
(via @saltersl) pic.twitter.com/8V4rj9QagU
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 9, 2025
That is quite the bombshell for a Sunday matinee game ahead of Eagles-Chiefs!
This is a development nobody would’ve seen coming after hearing from Embiid and Daryl this past week. Embiid mentioned after returning to the lineup in a win over the Dallas Mavericks that his surgically repaired knee will need more recovery time before the swelling stops. Morey said the organization was optimistic that the swelling and pain in Embiid’s knee would eventually lessen or be non-existent, based on the medical experts the team consulted before Embiid signed a three-year max extension.
Nobody at any time has mentioned that Embiid could need another surgery. Any questions about the team potentially shutting Embiid down during what looks to be a lost season have been dismissed.
With the Sixers coming into play at 20-31 and still sitting outside the East play-in picture, it does sort of beg the question of why Embiid would continue to play on a knee that needs surgery. Wouldn’t it be in everyone’s best interest for Embiid to have the surgery now, allowing him to have the most possible recovery time so he can be fully healthy for the start of the 2025-26 season?
Embiid will surely be asked about it postgame. We’ll see what he has to say.