Joel Embiid, the star of the Philadelphia 76ers, is facing ongoing difficulties as he contends with a persistent left knee issue. Having missed all preseason games, Embiid was also unable to take the court for the 76ers’ season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks and is expected to be sidelined for the upcoming two contests.
The situation escalated when Embiid made headlines by revealing his plan to avoid playing in back-to-back games during the current season. His statement met with backlash from former NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley, who expressed their criticisms during Tuesday’s episode of TNT’s Inside the NBA. Both legends questioned Embiid’s dedication to the sport.
In contrast, prominent sports commentator Stephen A. Smith came to Embiid’s defense. On First Take, he voiced his strong disagreement with Barkley and Shaq’s comments. “I can’t believe what came out of their mouth… I don’t understand how they can have a problem considering all the injuries he’s sustained?” Stephen A. Smith sounded OFF on Shaq and Charles Barkley’s comments last night on Joel Embiid’s availability 👀pic.twitter.com/WE5ijF8ZWE — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 23, 2024
“I can’t believe what came out of their mouth. Joel Embiid has missed 329 games in his career. Foot, knee, health protocols, back, hand, face, ankle, shoulder, calf, hip, elbow, rib! Is there a part of the body that I missed? This dude has been hurt over every imaginable injury that you can find on the human body,” Smith remarked.
Nick Nurse Responds to Joel Embiid’s Health Concerns
Prior to the 76ers’ season opener against the Bucks, head coach Nick Nurse took a moment to support Joel Embiid. Nurse clarified that Embiid did not re-injure his knee and highlighted that the decision about his playing status was made collaboratively by the team’s staff.
“(The decision) is really a collective effort. I think if you want to point fingers at any one particular person, that’s not going to happen. Our medical team is first and foremost. Joel is there, our front office, myself—everybody’s weighing in to make what we hope is a better plan than it’s been,” Nurse stated.
Embiid underwent surgery on his left knee in February for a meniscus injury and returned to play in April. Nonetheless, his performance during the playoffs raised worrying questions about his mobility, leading him to miss two games due to the injury.
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