The ongoing saga of Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers continues to evolve. In its most recent development, it has been reported that the former NBA MVP and the franchise are at odds over Embiid’s injury.
Joel Embiid Goes Straight to Owner Over Knee Injury
Shams Carania of ESPN reported that Embiid went directly to 76ers owner Josh Harris to discuss the status of his knee injury, to which the team and the Sixers center have “fundamental disagreements” over.
“Joel Embiid went directly to 76ers owner Josh Harris about the state of his knee”- @ShamsCharania
Says there are “fundamental disagreements” about the treatment plan Embiid has been undergoingpic.twitter.com/n59Q0wjU3i
— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) March 2, 2025
This is certainly a noteworthy moment in the relationship between Embiid and the franchise, especially since the 76ers’ loyalty to the big man is being questioned, given the star’s injury history.
To understand fully how the relationship reached this point, we must go back to the beginning.
The former Kansas Jayhawk was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by Philadelphia. Yet, Embiid would not touch the floor until the 2016 season, with injuries plaguing his first two years in the league. And although Embiid has played in each season since, the injuries have stuck around.
While that has never seemed to slow down the star big man, with seven All-Star selections to his name and two scoring titles, load management and missed time became the bigger conversation around the franchise player.
In 2021, Embiid played in 68 games, followed by 66 a year later. However, he followed that up with just 39 games in the 2023-24 season and had only played in 19 games this season before being shut down.
The NBA is no stranger to stars and franchises with differing perspectives on injury treatment. A more recent example being the end of current Los Angeles Clippers Kawhi Leonard’s tenure with his former team, the San Antonio Spurs.
In the case of Leonard and the Spurs, the disagreement came down to how his injury at the time should be treated (as a muscle issue or a tendon issue). This eventually led to tension between him and the franchise, and Leonard’s eventual trade to the Toronto Raptors.
The topic of injury management by both players and teams has been under fire in recent years, with the conversation around load management growing each year. In a recent report sent to players by the NBA, the average missed games per season from “star players” in the 1990s was 10.6, compared to 23.9 in the 2020s.
The 76ers certainly have decisions to make regarding their future and whether or not that includes Embiid. With the franchise and Embiid now seemingly not even on the same page in how to treat injuries, can they get back on the same page in keeping him in a 76ers jersey?
Embiid signed a three-year, $192.9 million contract extension last September, keeping him under contract through the 2028-2029 season.
