76ers Announce Joel Embiid Update on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Dec 25, 2025 4:43 PM ET

Not even Joel Embiid’s strong performance was enough to lift the Philadelphia 76ers in Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. The former NBA MVP logged 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting, to go along with six rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one 3-pointer in 31 minutes of action, but the Sixers still suffered a home defeat at the hands of the Nets, 114-106.

Philadelphia is back in action on Friday to face the Chicago Bulls, marking the first game of its upcoming five-game road trip. Embiid has popped up on the injury report for that contest and is now in danger of sitting out another game for the Sixers.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during an NBA game.© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Embiid was forced to exit Tuesday’s loss to the Nets due to a knee problem. He left the game in the third quarter but returned shortly after. During his postgame interview, the seven-time All-Star played down the injury and did not seem to have much concern for the same.

The Sixers have now shared their injury report for Friday’s game against Chicago, and Embiid has been listed again. The team announced that Embiid is officially questionable to play due to right knee injury management.

Embiid’s designation seems to indicate that his potential absence will be for rest, rather than due to the incident in the Nets game. Either way, there is a chance that the two-time NBA scoring champion will be forced to miss Friday’s matchup.

It is worth noting that rookie VJ Edgecombe and Quentin Grimes have both been added to the injury report as well due to illness, while Kelly Oubre remains out with a sprained left knee.

The Sixers enter Friday’s game with a 16-12 record and are fifth in the Eastern Conference. They will face a 14-15 Bulls side, with tip-off from United Center scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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