Philadelphia 76ers announce Joel Embiid 'medically unable' to play, will miss remainder of season

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has run into injury issues yet again this year. And on Friday evening, the superstar and the Philly fan base got some devastating news. Embiid has been consulting with top specialists regarding the issues with his left knee. And after further evaluation, it’s been determined that he is medically unable to play, and Embiid will miss the rest of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation.

Here is the official statement from the 76ers franchise.

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— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) February 28, 2025

“The Philadelphia 76ers and Joel Embiid have been consulting with top specialists regarding ongoing issues with his left knee. After further evaluation, it has been determined that he is medically unable to play and will miss the remainder of the season to focus on treatment and rehabilitation. We are working with medical experts to determine the exact treatment plan and will update media when we have more information. The team and specialists will continue working with Joel to ensure the best path forward for his long-term health and performance,” the 76ers Twitter statement read on Friday evening.

This season, he’s averaged 23.8 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, while shooting 44.4% from the field. He only played in 19 games before shutting it down. The Cameroon native has struggled mightily with injuries throughout his career, and he’s played in less than 50 percent of his games thus far.

When healthy, he’s been one of the most dominant players in the league, winning MVP honors in 2023, as well as winning the NBA scoring title twice (2022 and 2023). In 2023, he stuffed the stat sheet with 34.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks per game. He also tacked on 1.2 steals per game.

Embiid was one of the most dominant players in the league and played like the MVP for much of the 2021-2022 season. While he’s dealt with several brutal injuries throughout his career, he’s shown over the years when he can stay on the floor, he’s an unstoppable force.

Embiid brought his special stuff to the floor when his team needed him the most in the 2022 playoffs. In Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs against the Toronto Raptors, he drilled an epic three-point dagger for the ages.

The game-winning shot was the first of Embiid’s career. He missed a chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but when given that opportunity again in overtime, he did not disappoint. Embiid delivered a stone-cold dagger for the ages–a turnaround three-point shot that touched nothing but nylon as it went through the hoop.

We’ll have to see if the uber-talented big man can find a way to say healthy moving forward.