The Big Lead

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid gets brutally honest about his injuries

Joel Embiid has often struggled with injury issues, and the former MVP spoke candidly about what he goes through when it happens.

By Divij Kulkarni

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid looks on after the game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid looks on after the game against the Milwaukee Bucks. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
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Joel Embiid is an NBA MVP, a 7-time All-Star, and a 2-time scoring champion. His resume is stacked; no one can question that he can be the best in the world on his day. However, since he entered the league, he's had one enduring nemesis: his injuries.

After the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Embiid in 2014, he was unable to play his first two seasons due to a broken bone in his foot. In these nine seasons that have followed, Embiid has missed more than half the regular season thrice. Last year, he was only able to play in 19 games.

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His issues have often led to criticism about being soft and not being able to play through pain. Speaking to ESPN in an interview, the big man opened up about what it's like to play while dealing with injury.

"It's basically damned if you do, damned if you don't. Because if you don't play, then, you know, there's this whole narrative... I never cared about the 'soft' comments," Embiid said.

"All I cared about was the team and my teammates. I never wanted to feel like I was quitting on them. And obviously, that goes back to the whole thing in therapy about not wanting to disappoint people."

This has led to Embiid playing with several injuries, as he did in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, despite having both a knee issue and dealing with Bell's Palsy. It's evident that Embiid cares a lot about his team and winning, and perhaps it's time that fans started cutting him some slack.

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