Sixers’ Joel Embiid suffers lateral meniscus injury in left knee

Philadelphia 76ers superstar center Joel Embiid has suffered a lateral meniscus injury in his left knee, the team announced on Thursday evening.

Embiid, the league’s reigning MVP, suffered the injury during the Sixers' loss against the Golden State Warriors. Embiid will be out through the weekend while a treatment plan is finalized, the team announced.

The Sixers' medical staff, several specialists and Embiid have yet to come up with a plan for how to treat his injured meniscus. Embiid and the Sixers will likely take time over the next several days to determine whether his knee needs surgery.

Meniscus tears can usually be treated without surgeries, and individuals recover in roughly six-to-eight weeks. If Embiid needs surgery, he might be sidelined longer.

Philadelphia currently has the fifth-best record in a tight Eastern Conference. This is a huge blow to the Sixers, considering they’ve gone 3-9 in games without Embiid.

Embiid’s injury dashes his hopes of a second-straight MVP award, as he likely won't be eligible due to the NBA's new 65-game rule. The 7-foot center was the MVP frontrunner prior to this injury, averaging 36 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.

Embiid will likely need to be replaced in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis (his seventh All-Star appearance). Also, this creates some doubt over whether he'll be able to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics in July.