Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid made his long-awaited return to the court after missing most of November with a lingering right knee injury. In his first game back on November 30, Embiid logged 30 minutes, scoring 18 points while showcasing his new Skechers signature shoe, the “SKX JE 1.”

Joel Embiid Debuts “SKX JE 1” on Return From Injury

Embiid joined Skechers in April 2024. Although injuries have limited him since then, the 31-year-old remains one of the NBA’s most dominant forces when healthy. Skechers teased his signature model earlier in November, and Embiid chose his comeback game to unveil it.

He wore a black/blue/pink colorway featuring “JE” branding on the tongue, marking both his first signature shoe with Skechers and the company’s inaugural athlete signature basketball model.

Joel Embiid debuts his first Skechers signature shoe — the JE 1: pic.twitter.com/odbpl9g7GE

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) December 1, 2025

Prior to the SKX JE 1, Embiid had been wearing the Skechers SKX Float line on court and has appeared in numerous promotional campaigns for the brand off it. He also received a special all-gold SKX Float in celebration of his 2024 Olympic gold medal performance and debuted a holiday-themed pair on Christmas Day 2024.

Before Skechers, Embiid began his NBA career with Adidas, then signed with Under Armour in 2018, earning his first signature sneaker with the brand in 2020. Now, he adds a second signature line, this time as the face of Skechers’ re-entry into the performance basketball market in late 2024.

Embiid Grateful For Return From Injury

Embiid had been out since November 11 but was cleared for full practice work last week. He returned to the starting lineup Sunday night against the Atlanta Hawks, logging 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block across 30 minutes. Philadelphia ultimately fell in double overtime, but Embiid emphasized he felt physically encouraged.

“I thought the first half was pretty good,” Embiid said, via ESPN. “When it’s been almost a month and you’ve only had about two court sessions, going up and down, it’s going to be tough.

“I’m just happy that I got a chance to play the game of basketball, build on it and go from there. … I don’t really judge myself based on shots falling. Tonight is all about how I moved laterally, jumping and all that stuff. Tonight was a good step towards that.”

Before his injury, Embiid had appeared in six games this season, averaging 19.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, while shooting 46% from the field and 32.1% from three.