Joel Embiid Acknowledges Having Issues during his time offJoel Embiid vs Oklahoma City Thunder (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)


Joel Embiid rested, recovered, and went through rehab for two complete seasons in addition to many more. The Philadelphia 76ers player should be accustomed to waiting on the sidelines by this point in his NBA career.

Joel Embiid’s most recent injury was a torn meniscus in his left knee that required surgery. It cost him two months of the season and came with different ramifications when he took time off.

Embiid revealed, “Usually, when I have injuries, I just tell myself, ‘Move on to the next one. Get better and fix it. This one took a toll mentally. Being depressed. It was not a good one. Still not where I’m supposed to be, especially mentally. But I just love to play. Love basketball and I want to play. Any chance that I can be out there, I’m going to take it.”

In his first game back after nine weeks, Joel Embiid was greeted warmly by Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and over 21,000 Sixers fans who cheered at his introduction and yelled “MVP! MVP!” throughout the game. In his comeback performance, Embiid’s 24 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 clutch free throws helped the 76ers defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-105, as per the NBA website.

Joel Embiid Experienced Affection in Philadelphia as Returns to the Court

When questioned about what he meant particularly when he said he wasn’t in the right frame of mind, Joel Embiid acknowledged that the injury made him feel melancholy. Naturally, it will take Embiid a while to return to his pre-injury level, when he was scoring more points than time played and averaged over 35 points per game.

The Sixers’ final game of January saw Joel Embiid’s injury, but he was cleared to play ahead of time. Without him, the Sixers fell in the Eastern Conference rankings. The 30-year-old Embiid claimed that his wife and little boy helped him get through his difficult times.

To distract himself from the news that his NBA career was on hold, Joel Embiid played with his 3-and-a-half-year-old son Arthur all day while he was being driven to and from school. The attention now will be on Embiid’s recuperation from this opening game and the future reaction of his left knee.