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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Joel Embiid medical malady update itself is no longer surprising. There will be one — there always is one, especially around the playoffs — and it’s just a matter of guessing the body part involved.
It could make for a late-night party game.
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Throw a dart, hit the part.
Hey, the appendix!
It might be amusing if the situation wasn’t so unfortunate for Embiid. One of the most talented, dominant big men of his era, Embiid has a 7-foot-2 frame that’s betrayed him at every step of his injury-ravaged career, stunting any potential for reaching all-time greatness.
Again, the Philadelphia 76ers pinned their playoffs hopes on the health of a player who is unable to stay healthy.
Again, the same-old 76ers are stuck in the middle-of-the-road come April.
“It’s a big bummer, man,” coach Nick Nurse said. “For him, first. And then everything else.”
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Still easing back from knee injuries that shortened his season, Embiid got appendicitis last week and needed an appendectomy in Houston. While the 76ers haven’t given a timetable on his return, the seven-time All-Star is out for the NBA play-in tournament game Wednesday night at home against Orlando and, should the Sixers win, is surely out of action at least for a first-round series against Boston.
“What the hell, appendicitis?” his former coach, Doc Rivers, said over the weekend. “You can’t make it up. You really can’t.”
Nope.
But then again …
“It’s this time of year, right?” Rivers said.
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Consider:
In 2024, Embiid played in the playoffs through a bout with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis. He wore sunglasses to the podium after he scored 50 points in the Sixers’ Game 3 win over the Knicks and said at the time he was dealing with various symptoms such as blurred vision and dry eyes.
A year earlier, Embiid missed a playoff game each in two series because of a sprained right knee.
How about 2022? The Sixers won 51 games under Rivers and had a great chance at a deep playoff run until Embiid suffered a right orbital fracture and a concussion when he was hit in the face by Toronto’s Pascal…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/another-spring-injury-setback-star-162025237.html
Author : DAN GELSTON
Publish date : 2026-04-14 16:20:00
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