Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with a lateral meniscus injury, the team revealed, according to basketball insider Marc Stein.
Embiid has no timetable for recovery but will be out through at least the weekend as the team finalizes a treatment plan.
The 29-year-old underwent an MRI after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors early. With four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Embiid, who had already been dealing with knee soreness, looked to be in pain after Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga fell on his left leg.
Embiid has a history of meniscus injuries in both of his knees. As a rookie in 2016-17, the Cameroonian star missed multiple games beginning in January with a bone bruise and torn meniscus. Though that concern wasn’t initially expected to require surgery, Philadelphia later announced the meniscus tear had worsened, forcing the 7-footer to undergo a season-ending arthroscopic procedure.
During the 2021 postseason, Embiid was revealed to have a torn meniscus in his right knee during the 76ers’ first-round series against the Washington Wizards. Though he missed their series-clinching Game 5 victory, Embiid returned immediately after, playing in all seven games of their conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks. Though Philadelphia lost the series, Embiid averaged 30.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, two blocks, and one steal while playing 37.4 minutes per game.
