76ers’ Joel Embiid Still Hasn’t Returned To Full On-Court Basketball Activities

According to NBA reporter Tony Jones of The Athletic, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid still hasn’t returned to full on-court basketball activities.

Embiid underwent arthroscopic left knee surgery in April. 

“It’s been almost a year and a half since the knee injury he suffered at Golden State derailed him for most of the 2024-25 season, and Daryl Morey says Embiid is ‘on track’ to be healthy for training camp, the start of the preseason and the start of the regular season,” Jones wrote.

“League sources tell The Athletic that Embiid still hasn’t returned to full on-court basketball activities. He has resumed partial basketball activities, according to the league sources. In light of this, Morey and the front office remain optimistic that Embiid will be on the floor for the season opener.”

Embiid played in 19 games last season. He averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.9% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the free-throw line. 

Philadelphia signed Embiid to a three-year, $192 million extension in September 2024. Embiid is owed $248.1 million over the next four seasons.

A Kansas product, Embiid has career averages of 27.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He’s made seven All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams. 

The Sixers drafted Embiid in 2014. Embiid, the 2023 MVP, missed the first two years of his career due to injuries. 

Philadelphia has never advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the Embiid era. Embiid has played with Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. 

According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Embiid was angry that details of a team meeting in which Sixers players called him out leaked to the public. The team meeting took place last season in November. 

“There was the team meeting in Miami in November in which fellow players called him out for his lack of professionalism, including comments from star teammate Tyrese Maxey, who specifically pointed to Embiid’s tardiness to team events,” Windhorst wrote. “While he has since patched up any lingering tension with Maxey, Embiid was angry that details of the meeting became public, sources said, and attempted to identify a possible leak.”