Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been one of the top players in the NBA over the past decade. Across 10 years in the league, Embiid has scored 27.6 points per contest to go along with 10.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks in 490 career games.
He has been selected to seven NBA All-Star Games, five All-NBA teams, three All-Defensive teams, won two scoring titles and one MVP award during his tenure with the 76ers.
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This season, the former third overall pick of Philadelphia played just 38 games, averaging 26.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
While Embiid’s entire career in the NBA has been plagued by injury, his latest health scare came on April 9, when it was reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that Embiid was diagnosed with appendicitis. This required an emergency surgery, which he underwent the same day.
While recovering from this surgery, Embiid missed the 76ers’ play-in tournament game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, which Philadelphia won 109-97.
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On Thursday, Charania reported that the 76ers are preparing to begin the playoffs without their star center in the lineup as he continues to recover.
“Sixers are preparing for battle against the Celtics without Joel Embiid, at least to start the series,” Charania said.
Charania said that it is unclear when Embiid will be able to return to the court, but he will have to go through a rehab phase before getting back to playing condition.
Embiid has played 59 playoff games during his NBA career, putting up 24.9 points and 10.9 boards per contest.
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The 76ers and Celtics will begin the Eastern Conference first-round matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at TD Garden. The game will air nationally on ABC.
Related: Joel Embiid Injury Update Emerges Before 76ers-Magic Game
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.